Sympathoadrenal stress reactivity is a predictor of future blood pressure: an 18-year follow-up study.
In the present study we hypothesized that arterial catecholamine concentrations during rest and 2 laboratory stress tests were independent predictors of blood pressure at an 18-year follow-up. At entry, blood pressure, heart rate, and arterial plasma epinephrine and norepinephrine concentrations were measured in 99 healthy men (age: 19.3+/-0.4 years, mean+/-SD) at rest, during a mental arithmetic test, and during a cold pressor test. After 18.0+/-0.9 years of follow-up, resting blood pressure was measured. The norepinephrine and epinephrine concentrations during the mental arithmetic explained 12.7% of the variation of future systolic blood pressure after adjusting for initial resting blood pressure, family history, body mass index, and systolic blood pressure during the stress test in a multiple regression analysis (adjusted R(2)=0.651; P<0.001). To conclude, the present study shows that sympathetic nervous activity during mental arithmetic predicts future blood pressure, indicating a possible causal factor in the development of essential hypertension independent of the initial blood pressure.
Department of Acute Medicine, Ullevaal University Hospital, N-0407 Oslo, Norway. arnljot.flaa@medisin.uio.no
Arnljot
A
Flaa
Ivar K
IK
Eide
Sverre E
SE
Kjeldsen
Morten
M
Rostrup
D000328:Adult; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D015415:Biomarkers / Q000097:blood; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000097:blood* / Q000378:metabolism; D015331:Cohort Studies; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000097:blood*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000097:blood*; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D011336:Probability; D012016:Reference Values; D012307:Risk Factors; D013315:Stress, Psychological; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors
D015415:Biomarkers; D002395:Catecholamines; D009638:Norepinephrine; D004837:Epinephrine