DEFICIENT NORADRENERGIC RESPONSE TO ORAL GLUCOSE IN HYPERTENSIVES

The blood pressures of hypertensives lower more following a meal than those of normotensives; the reason for this difference is not known. W e gave an oral glucose tolerance test to 33 normotensives and 16 hyper tensives matched for age, sex, race, height, and weight. The hypertens ives had slightly higher glucose levels and similar insulin levels. Th e diastolic blood pressures of hypertensives decreased by similar to 1 0 mmHg, more than twice as much as those of normotensives, but their h eart rates did not change. Glucose increased the normotensives' heart rates by similar to 5 beats/min. The hypertensives' plasma norepinephr ine responses to a glucose meal were less than one-half of normal. The se findings suggest that hypertensives have a large drop in blood pres sure following glucose because of a deficient sympathetic nervous resp onse to eating. This may reflect both impaired baroreflexes and defici ent insulin-mediated stimulation of the sympathetic nervous system.