ABNORMAL EPINEPHRINE RELEASE IN YOUNG-ADULTS WITH HIGH PERSONAL AND HIGH PARENTAL BLOOD PRESSURES

Background Increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system has be en proposed as a cause of high blood pressure (BP) and may be related to diet and body weight. To determine the role of these factors in pre disposition to high BP, we studied 100 young adults with high or low B P from families in which both parents had either high or low BP. Metho ds and Results Plasma catecholamine, glucose, and insulin levels were measured before and after an oral glucose load. There was a significan t correlation between fasting plasma norepinephrine and mean arterial pressure (P=.001). Subjects with high BP, irrespective of parental BP, were heavier (P=.003) and fatter (P=.002) and had a greater rise in p lasma insulin (P=.003) following glucose than those with low BP. Offsp ring with high BP whose parents also had high BP showed an unexpected rise in plasma epinephrine (P=.004) following glucose. This adrenal me dullary response was not the result of high parental or high personal BP alone as it was not seen in offspring with low BP whose parents had high BP or in offspring with high BP whose parents had low BP. Conclu sions Irrespective of family history, high BP is associated with incre ased body weight and hyperinsulinemia and reflects personal environmen t and behavior. However, abnormal epinephrine release is characteristi c of the combination of genetic, environmental, and behavioral factors that is associated with high personal BP and a familial predispositio n to high BP.