Salt-sensitivity and other predictors of stress-related cardiovascular reactivity in healthy young males

Individuals whose mean arterial blood pressure is depending on oral salt in take are considered salt-sensitive and are at risk of developing essential hypertension, This study investigates the role of salt-sensitivity with respect to systol ic blood pressure reactions under standardized mental stress. Forty-three h ealthy young males, previously characterized as salt-sensitive (n=16) or sa lt-resistant (n=27) by a dietary regimen, were subjected to multimodal phys iological measurement during a computerized stress test and underwent compr ehensive psychometrical testing. The most important predictors for systolic blood pressure reactions to stre ss were the degree of salt-sensitivity, body mass index and psychological c haracteristics like anxiety. The highest correlations with the degree of sa lt-sensitivity were found for the parameters age, systolic blood pressure r eaction under stress, high frequency band of heart rate variability and two psychological variables. The concept of salt-sensitivity is a novel biological component that might contribute to reactivity research in subjects at high risk for essential hy pertension.