CARDIOVASCULAR REACTIONS TO BLOOD DONATION IN OFFSPRING OF HYPERTENSIVES AND NORMOTENSIVES

Blood pressure and heart rate reactions of 182 confirmed offspring of normotensive (110 female, 72 male) and 112 offspring of hypertensive ( 66 female, 46 male) individuals to the stressor of blood donation were examined. Subjects were tested at two sites, one in the United States and one in Canada. Although influenced by site, young normotensive of fspring of hypertensives generally exhibited significantly greater blo od pressure levels in anticipation of donating blood than offspring of normotensives. The higher reactivity of offspring of hypertensives ob served in stressful laboratory settings may generalize to more ecologi cally valid settings, even those which, like blood donation, require p assive coping efforts.