title: Differential blood pressure and hormonal effects after glucose and xylose ingestion in chronic autonomic failure.
abstract: 1. To investigate whether carbohydrate contributes to postprandial hypotension in autonomic failure, the cardiovascular, biochemical and hormonal effects of oral glucose and an iso-osmotic solution of oral xylose were studied on separate occasions in six patients with chronic autonomic failure. The effects of oral glucose were also studied in eight normal subjects. 2. In the patients oral glucose lowered blood pressure substantially (-34 +/- 7% at 60 min, area under curve -24.9 +/- 3.5%, P less than 0.001) and for a prolonged period (-25 +/- 4% at 120 min). Plasma noradrenaline levels did not change. In the normal subjects blood pressure was unchanged and plasma noradrenaline rose, suggesting a compensatory increase in sympathetic nervous activity. 3. In the patients xylose caused a smaller and more transient fall in blood pressure (-15 +/- 6% at 90 min, area under curve -8.9 +/- 4%, P less than 0.05) with a non-significant elevation in packed cell volume (36.7 +/- 1.8 to 38.2 +/- 1.8). It was therefore unclear if xylose was exerting osmotic effects within the bowel which contributed to the small blood pressure fall. Packed cell volume did not change in either the patients or normal subjects after glucose. 4. In the patients and normal subjects plasma insulin rose after glucose. Insulin levels were unchanged after xylose. Levels of pancreatic polypeptide and neurotensin, a potential vasodilator, rose in the patients only. The latter rose to a similar extent after both glucose and xylose, making it unlikely that neurotensin alone accounted for the hypotension. 5. These studies indicate that the carbohydrate components of a meal, and in particular those causing insulin release, contribute to postprandial hypotension in patients with autonomic failure.
authors.affiliation: Medical Unit, St Mary's Hospital Medical School, London.
authors.forename: C J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Mathias
authors.forename: D F
authors.initials: DF
authors.lastname: da Costa
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: McIntosh
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Fosbraey
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Bannister
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Wood
authors.forename: S R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Bloom
authors.forename: N J
authors.initials: NJ
authors.lastname: Christensen
mesh_terms: D000284:Administration, Oral; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001342:Autonomic Nervous System Diseases / Q000097:blood / Q000150:complications*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000097:blood; D004911:Erythrocyte Volume; D005260:Female; D005947:Glucose / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006728:Hormones / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D007024:Hypotension, Orthostatic / Q000097:blood / Q000209:etiology*; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000097:blood; D012083:Renin / Q000097:blood; D014994:Xylose / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D006728:Hormones; D014994:Xylose; D012083:Renin; D005947:Glucose; D009638:Norepinephrine; D004837:Epinephrine