Raised plasma-catecholamines in some patients with primary hypertension.

Abstract The plasma-catecholamines of twenty-seven patients with primary hypertension were determined by an enzymatic method and were compared with values in twenty-five controls. Ten patients had sustained hypertension and seventeen had labile hypertension. The mean plasma-catecholamines of the supine hypertensives (0.35 μg. per litre) was 30% greater than that for controls, and they increased by 74% after standing, similar to the increase in controls. 26% of the patients with primary hypertension when supine and 33% when standing had total plasma-catecholamines which exceeded the sums of the mean plus 2 S.D. of the mean for controls. The means of total plasma-catecholamines of both normotensive and hypertensive females were 27 and 30% greater, respectively, than those of males. Three (11%) supine hypertensives and nine (33%) standing hypertensives had increased plasma-catecholamines when compared to the mean values of normotensive males and females separately. Excessive plasma-catecholamines in some patients may reflect increased sympathetic nerve tone and be a pathogenic factor in their hypertension.

[1]  H. Smulyan,et al.  Hemodynamics in Labile Hypertension: A Follow‐Up Study , 1966, Circulation.

[2]  K. Engelman,et al.  A Sensitive Double‐Isotope Derivative Assay for Norepinephrine and Epinephrine: NORMAL RESTING HUMAN PLASMA LEVELS , 1970, Circulation research.

[3]  O. M. Helmer.  The renin-angiotensin system and its relation to hypertension. , 1965, Progress in cardiovascular diseases.

[4]  V. Dequattro.  Evaluation of Increased Norepinephrine Excretion in Hypertension Using L‐Dopa‐3H , 1971, Circulation research.

[5]  R. L. Wolf,et al.  PLASMA CLEARANCE OF DL-BETA-H3-NOREPINEPHRINE IN NORMAL HUMAN SUBJECTS AND PATIENTS WITH ESSENTIAL HYPERTENSION. , 1964, The Journal of clinical investigation.

[6]  S. Julius,et al.  Relationship Between Cardiac Output and Peripheral Resistance in Borderline Hypertension , 1971, Circulation.

[7]  S. Glabman,et al.  Tritium excretion of normotensive and hypertensive subjects after administration of tritiated norepinephrine. , 1969, The Journal of laboratory and clinical medicine.

[8]  P. Taggart,et al.  Validity of plasma-catecholamine estimations. , 1970, Lancet.

[9]  W. Lovenberg,et al.  A Sensitive and Specific Double‐Isotope Derivative Method for the Determination of Catecholamines in Biological Specimens , 1968, The American journal of the medical sciences.

[10]  E. Frohlich,et al.  Relation of Plasma to Interstitial Fluid Volume in Essential Hypertension , 1969, Circulation.

[11]  J. R. Fraser,et al.  Vascular Reactivity in Hypertension , 1961, Circulation research.

[12]  N. Kaplan,et al.  Suppressed plasma renin activity in essential hypertension. Roles of plasma volume, blood pressure, and sympathetic nervous system. , 1970, Annals of internal medicine.

[13]  P. Nestel,et al.  Blood-pressure and catecholamine excretion after mental stress in labile hypertension. , 1969, Lancet.

[14]  E. Braunwald,et al.  Augmentation of the plasma nor-epinephrine response to exercise in patients with congestive heart failure. , 1962, The New England journal of medicine.

[15]  A. Sjoerdsma,et al.  Catecholamine turnover in normotensive and hypertensive man: effects of antiadrenergic drugs. , 1968, The Journal of clinical investigation.