Salt sensitivity and psychological status of adolescent males with mild hypertension

Clinical scale and abridged MMPI test were used for assessment of psycholog ical status in 126 adolescent male hypertensives and 90 healthy subjects wi th various sensitivity to nutritive salt. Youths with mild hypertension and high threshold of salt perception had obvious neurotic disorders while sub jects with mild hypertension and low threshold had rigidity traits. A relat ionship was established between salt-sensitivity and levels of some scales of the MMPI profile. Youths with hypertension and high threshold of salt pe rception had higher profile on scales of the neurotic triad while those wit h low threshold had peaks on the scales 6 and 8.