Elevated Plasma Adrenaline Reflects Sympathetic Overactivity and Enhanced α-Adrenoceptor-Mediated Vasoconstriction in Essential Hypertension

1981 ◽  
Vol 61 (s7) ◽  
pp. 161s-164s ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Bolli ◽  
F. W. Amann ◽  
L. Hulthén ◽  
W. Kiowski ◽  
F. R. Bühler

1. Stressful sympathetic stimulation (cold pressor test) was applied to 18 patients with essential hypertension and 15 normotensive subjects. Intra-arterial blood pressure, heart rate, plasma adrenaline and noradrenaline concentrations as well as forearm blood flow were measured before and during the cold pressor test; tests were repeated after regional postsynaptic α1-adrenoceptor blockade with prazosin. 2. Under basal conditions mean blood pressure (P < 0.001), heart rate (P < 0.01), forearm blood flow (P < 0.001) as well as adrenaline concentration (P < 0.01), but not noradrenaline, was higher in patients with essential hypertension. 3. During the cold pressor test, mean blood pressure, heart rate, plasma adrenaline and noradrenaline concentrations increased and forearm flow decreased (all P < 0.001). 4. Stress-stimulated plasma adrenaline was higher in essential hypertensive patients than in normotensive subjects (P < 0.01). In the former the stress-induced increase in plasma adrenaline correlated with the increase in mean blood pressure (r = 0.514; P < 0.05). 5. Prazosin increased forearm blood flow more in essential hypertension (P < 0.001). This increase correlated with the resting plasma adrenaline in the hypertensive (r = 0.710; P < 0.001), but not in normotensive, subjects. 6. When the cold pressor test was repeated during postsynaptic α1-adrenoceptor blockade forearm blood flow did not decrease; instead it increased further in both groups (P < 0.05). 7. Thus in essential hypertension elevated plasma adrenaline concentration reflects sympathetic overactivity as also expressed by enhanced α-adrenoceptor-mediated vasoconstriction.

2005 ◽  
Vol 99 (5) ◽  
pp. 1866-1871 ◽  
Author(s):  
William G. Schrage ◽  
Brad W. Wilkins ◽  
Vicki L. Dean ◽  
John P. Scott ◽  
Nancy K. Henry ◽  
...  

ATP released from circulating erythrocytes is a potential signal regulating muscle blood flow during exercise (exercise hyperemia), and intravascular ATP appears to blunt sympathetic vasoconstriction during exercise. Erythrocytes from patients with cystic fibrosis (CF) do not release ATP. The goal of the present study was to determine whether increases in forearm blood flow during exercise are blunted in CF patients and whether CF patients exhibit greater vasoconstrictor responsiveness during exercise. Nine control subjects and 10 CF patients who were free of other disease complications (∼96% O2 saturation) performed incremental rhythmic forearm exercise at 5, 10, and 15% of maximum handgrip strength for 21 min (7 min at each workload). We used a cold pressor test to evoke sympathetic vasoconstriction under resting conditions and at each exercise workload. As a control, subjects performed a second exercise bout without the cold pressor test. Continuous brachial artery blood velocity was monitored beat-to-beat, and vessel diameter was assessed by Doppler ultrasound. Artery diameter, as well as blood pressure, heart rate, and O2 saturation, was measured at steady-state exercise and at 1 min into the cold pressor stimulus. Blood pressure and heart rate responses to the forearm exercise and each cold pressor test were similar in both groups ( P > 0.05). Contrary to our hypothesis, forearm blood flow ( P = 0.91) and forearm vascular conductance ( P = 0.82) were similar at rest and at each level of exercise between CF patients and controls. Additionally, there was no difference in the degree of sympathetic vasoconstriction between groups at rest and at each level of exercise ( P = 0.22). Our results suggest that ATP released from the deformation of erythrocytes is not an obligatory signal for exercise hyperemia in human skeletal muscle.


1988 ◽  
Vol 75 (6) ◽  
pp. 615-619 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacques Lenders ◽  
Harry Houben ◽  
Rudolf Van Valderen ◽  
Jacques Willemsen ◽  
Theo Thien

1. To determine the reproducibility of a mental arithmetic stress test and a handgrip exercise test, we studied the responses of blood pressure, heart rate, forearm blood flow and plasma catecholamines on two occasions, with an interval of at least 1 week, in 24 normotensive and 22 hypertensive subjects. 2. The se of a single observation of the percentage changes of blood pressure ranged from 3.9 to 9.3% in normotensive subjects and from 3.9 to 7.4% in hypertensive subjects in both tests. For heart rate, these values were 4.9–12.3% in the normotensive subjects and 4.8–5.7% in the hypertensive subjects. However, there was a wide individual scatter of these haemodynamic responses during both tests. The forearm blood flow, only measured during mental arithmetic, had an se of a single observation of 33.7%. 3. In 10 normotensive subjects the se of a single observation of the change in plasma noradrenaline was 0.16 nmol/l during handgrip exercise and 0.09 nmol/l during mental arithmetic. The corresponding values for plasma adrenaline were 0.04 and 0.05 nmol/l. 4. In conclusion, although both tests showed a rather low se of a single observation for the blood pressure and heart rate responses in normo- and hyper-tensive subjects, there was a considerable individual variability. If related to the mean forearm blood flow responses, the se of a single observation of the forearm blood flow response was of similar magnitude. The limited intra-individual reproducibility of both tests should be borne in mind when interpreting pharmacological intervention studies or studies evaluating sympathoadrenal reactivity in cardiovascular disorders.


Biologija ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 64 (4) ◽  
Author(s):  
Vera E. Shekh ◽  
Emeka Idot-Eyin Ofoegbu ◽  
Ebunoluwa Grace Adenuga ◽  
Larisa S. Shchyrova

Hypertension is a global health problem and a risk factor of cardiovascular disease, cerebrovascular and kidney disease. The cold pressor test (CPT) is commonly used as a sympathoexcitatory manoeuvre. Heart rate variability (HRV) is a useful tool for assessment of autonomic nervous system activity. The aim of this study was to evaluate cardiovascular and HRV responsiveness to CPT in 46 normotensive and 25 prehypertensive (PHT) young man. In ECG was recorded at rest and CPT for 5 min each to evaluate heart rate (HR), total power (TP), low frequency (LF) and high frequency (HF) power. General linear model was used to test for effect of prehypertension and CPT on HR, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP) and HRV variables and their responses to cold. The stepwise multiple linear regression analysis was used to reveal predictors of ∆HR, ∆SBP and ∆DBP. All analyses were conducted using SPSS 22. Blood pressure responsiveness to CPT was not associated with PHT; instead, it was associated with BMI. The ∆HR, ∆SBP, and ∆DBP were not significantly different between normotensive and prehypertensive subjects. However, ∆LnTP, ∆LnLF, and ∆LnHF were significantly higher in normotensives than in prehypertensives: LnTP, LnLF, and LnHF increased in normotensive subjects while these indices decreased in prehypertensives.


1985 ◽  
Vol 69 (5) ◽  
pp. 533-540 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gianfranco Parati ◽  
Guido Pomidossi ◽  
Agustin Ramirez ◽  
Bruno Cesana ◽  
Giuseppe Mancia

1. In man evaluation of neural cardiovascular regulation makes use of a variety of tests which address the excitatory and reflex inhibitory neural influences that control circulation. Because interpretation of these tests is largely based on the magnitude of the elicited haemodynamic responses, their reproducibility in any given subject is critical. 2. In 39 subjects with continuous blood pressure (intra-arterial catheter) and heart rate monitoring we measured (i) the blood pressure and heart rate rises during hand-grip and cold-pressor test, (ii) the heart rate changes occurring during baroreceptor stimulation and deactivation by injection of phenylephrine and trinitroglycerine, and (iii) the heart rate and blood pressure changes occurring with alteration in carotid baroreceptor activity by a neck chamber. Each test was carefully standardized and performed at 30 min intervals for a total of six times in each subject. 3. The results showed that the responses to any test were clearly different from one another and that this occurred in all subjects studied. For the group as a whole the average response variability (coefficient of variation) ranged from 10.2% for the blood pressure response to carotid baroreceptor stimulation to 44.2% for the heart rate response to cold-pressor test. The variability of the responses was not related to basal blood pressure or heart rate, nor to the temporal sequence of the test performance. 4. Thus tests employed for studying neural cardiovascular control in man produce responses whose reproducibility is limited. This phenomenon may make it more difficult to define the response magnitude typical of each subject, as well as its comparison in different conditions and diseases.


1993 ◽  
Vol 3 (5) ◽  
pp. 303-310 ◽  
Author(s):  
Frank Weise ◽  
Dominique Laude ◽  
Arlette Girard ◽  
Philippe Zitoun ◽  
Jean-Philippe Siché ◽  
...  

2019 ◽  
Vol 222 ◽  
pp. 102581 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brittney A. Herrington ◽  
Scott F. Thrall ◽  
Leah M. Mann ◽  
Michael M. Tymko ◽  
Trevor A. Day

10.4085/16-20 ◽  
2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lentini Matylda ◽  
Scalia Joseph ◽  
Berger Lebel Frédérike ◽  
Touma Fadi ◽  
Jhajj Aneet ◽  
...  

Abstract Context: Athletes are often exposed to pain due to injury and competition. There is preliminary evidence that cardiovascular measures could be an objective measure of pain, but the cardiovascular response can be influenced by psychological factors such as catastrophizing. Objectives: The purpose of our study was to use a painful cold pressor test to measure the relationship between catastrophizing, pain, and cardiovascular variables in athletes. Design: Pre-post test. Setting: We completed all measures in a laboratory setting. Participants: Thirty-six male rugby athletes participated in the study. Main outcome measures: We measured catastrophizing with the Pain Catastrophizing Scale and pain with a Numeric Pain Rating Scale. Cardiovascular measures included heart rate, systolic, and diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate variability. Results: During the cold pressor test, participants experienced a significant increase in pain (0 to 4.1±2.2), systolic blood pressure (126.7±16.5mm Hg to 149.7±23.4mm Hg), diastolic blood pressure (76.9±8.3mm Hg to 91.9±11.5mm Hg) and heart rate variability (from 0.0164ms±0.0121 to 0.0400ms±0.0323) (all p<.001). In addition, there was a significant decrease in heart rate after the cold pressor test (p=0.04). There was a significant correlation between athlete's pain catastrophizing to both pain intensity and change in heart rate during the cold pressor test (p=.017 and p=.003 respectively). A significant linear regression indicated pain and catastrophizing explained 29% of the variance of the change in heart rate (p=.003). Conclusion: Athletes who have catastrophizing thoughts are more likely to experience higher levels of pain and a greater cardiovascular response during a painful stimulus. The change in cardiovascular variables may be a good alternative for an objective measure of pain in athletes in the future.


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