MULTIPLE LINEAR-REGRESSION ANALYSIS OF BLOOD-PRESSURE, HYPERTROPHY, CALCIUM AND CADMIUM IN HYPERTENSIVE AND NONHYPERTENSIVE STATES

High blood pressure causes heart disease and remains a major public he alth issue. This paper expands mathematically and mechanistically on e nvironmental heavy metal exposure and heart disease. In rabbits, mean blood pressure was measured by direct puncture of the middle ear arter y. Measurements of calcium and cadmium levels were made by flame atomi c absorption spectrophotometry in tissue from hypertensive and non-hyp ertensive rabbits. Relationships between blood pressure, hypertrophy, calcium and cadmium were tested using multiple regression analysis. Mu ltiple linear relationships occurred showing the dependence of: high b lood pressure on hypertrophy, calcium and cadmium; hypertrophy on calc ium, cadmium and high blood pressure; and calcium on cadmium, high blo od pressure and hypertrophy. These data provide insight into the mecha nism of elevated blood pressure on heavy metal and calcium accumulatio n, and cardiac hypertrophy. (C) 1997 Elsevier Science Ltd.