title: Effects of psychological and physical covariates on plasma catecholamines in borderline hypertensives and offspring of hypertensive parents.
abstract: The interpretation of plasma catecholamine measurements may be influenced by psychological and physical factors. Therefore, catecholamine concentrations were adjusted for between-subject differences by the following possible confounding factors, i.e. body-mass index, individual maximal physical work capacity, urinary sodium excretion rates and anxiety score. Subjects were 24 borderline essential hypertensives, aged 18-24 years, 50 age-matched normotensive offspring of hypertensive parents and 49 controls with no family history of hypertension studied at rest and during mental stressors (Stroop colour-word conflict test, mental arithmetic). Borderline hypertensives had consistently higher adjusted venous noradrenaline concentrations than control subjects (p less than 0.05). Adjusted plasma adrenaline concentrations were higher in borderline hypertensive subjects than in offspring of hypertensive parents during supine rest. Despite its limitations, venous plasma noradrenaline concentrations when adjusted for work capacity, body-mass, sodium excretion and anxiety suggest enhanced sympatho-neural activity in young borderline essential hypertensives.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University Hospital, Basel, Switzerland.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Perini
authors.forename: F B
authors.initials: FB
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: U
authors.initials: U
authors.lastname: Rauchfleisch
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Battegay
authors.forename: F R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Bühler
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003119:Color Perception Tests; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000097:blood*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood* / Q000235:genetics / Q000523:psychology; D007361:Intelligence Tests; D008297:Male; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000097:blood*; D012307:Risk Factors
chemical_list: D009638:Norepinephrine; D004837:Epinephrine