MENTAL STRESS INDUCES DIFFERENT REACTIONS IN NUTRITIONAL AND THERMOREGULATORY HUMAN SKIN MICROCIRCULATION - A STUDY IN BORDERLINE HYPERTENSIVES AND NORMOTENSIVES

it has recently been shown that the reactivity of total (= thermoregul atory) and nutritional (= capillary) skin microcirculation differs in hypertension and normotension (NT) with a reduced stress response in h ypertension. The present study investigated skin microcirculation in 4 0 patients with borderline hypertension (BHT) and 38 NT controls. Capi llary blood flow (CBV, dynamic capillaroscopy) and subpapillary thermo regulatory Row (Laser Doppler fluxmetry, LDF) was measured at rest, af ter arterial occlusion and during and after a mental stress test. Rest ing CBV (0.48 vs. 0.50 mm/s) end LDF (3.19 vs. 3.06 AU) were equal in the two groups and no difference was found in postocclusive hyperaemia response. Reactivity to mental stress was similar in both groups with a significant increase in LDF (45% and 39%) and a significant decreas e in CBV (35% and 30%). In nonsmokers the BHT group tended to increase less in LDF (50% vs. 72%) and decrease slightly more in CBV (35% vs. 28%) than the NT group. No such difference was seen in smokers. Mental stress induces opposite reactions in total and nutritional skin micro circulation both in borderline hypertensives and normotensives. There were no significant differences in reactivity between the two groups, possibly due to the alleviated responses seen in smokers in both group s.