Plasma catecholamine responses during a personalized physical stress as a dynamic characterization of essential hypertension.
High performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) with electrochemical detection proves to be a reliable method for determination of plasma catecholamines (CA) to assess the possible role of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) in essential hypertension (EH). The present investigation in a group of 15 normotensive (N) and 13 stable EH patients, homogeneous for age and duration of hypertension, was carried out without treatment in the supine position, up-right position and during a personalized bicycle exercise. Mean blood pressure, mean heart rate, plasma renin activity and plasma aldosterone were also evaluated at the various exertion phases. Norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (E) showed a progressive increase in N and in EH patients, reaching the highest values at maximum effort. However, EH patients showed higher E plasma levels than N before maximum effort. Dopamine (DA) reached the highest values in N at maximum effort and in EH patients at recovery time. These findings allow us to foresee the possibility of a better characterization of the SNS role in EH.
Tosti-Croce
C
C
Istituto di Clinica Medica Generale V, Università La Sapienza, Roma, Italy.
Lucarelli
C
C
Betto
P
P
Floridi
A
A
Rinaldi
R
R
Salvati
A
A
Taggi
F
F
Sciarra
F
F
D000328:Adult; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000097:blood*; D004298:Dopamine / Q000097:blood; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000097:blood; D005080:Exercise Test; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000097:blood; D011187:Posture
D002395:Catecholamines; D004298:Dopamine; D009638:Norepinephrine; D004837:Epinephrine