Autonomic nervous system and microvascular alterations in normotensives with a family history of hypertension

Abstract

Autonomic nervous system and microvascular alterations at pre-hypertensive stage of hypertension have still not been fully elucidated. We aimed at addressing central and local influences on microvascular reactivity at pre-hypertensive stage of hypertension. To that end, we studied microvascular reactivity in 59 normotensives with a family history of hypertension and 46 controls. We measured laser-Doppler flow on the finger nailfold skin in the resting condition, after an 8-min occlusion of digital arteries and during local nitroglycerin application. Finger pressure, pulse and ECG were monitored by a Finapres device. Heart rate power spectral analysis was performed using Fast Fourier transformation. Baroreflex sensitivity was estimated by the sequence method. Normotensives with a family history of hypertension showed higher systolic pressure, decreased high-frequency power of the heart rate variability spectrum and reduced baroreflex sensitivity in the resting condition as well as decreased fundamental frequency of laser-Doppler flow oscillations during nitroglycerin application. We conclude that normotensives with a family history of hypertension exhibit altered sympathovagal balance with decreased parasympathetic activity at the cardiac level as well as increased myogenic microvascular reactivity.

Prolonged job strain reduces time-domain heart rate variability on both working and resting days among cardiovascular-susceptible nurses

“…Conclusions: Our findings suggest that persistent JS lowers HRV time-domain parameters, supporting the hypothesis that the ANS disorders may play an intermediate role in the relationship between work stress and CVD. tone in the offspring of hypertensive patients compared to those without a family story of hypertension, and Mavel et al [23] have reported similar findings in normotensive subjects with family story of hypertension. A reduction in HRV was also reported among healthy subjects with positive family history of diabetes [24,25] or premature heart attack and sudden death [26].…”

“…A study in 159 female nurses evidenced lack of association between job strain and HRV on working and on resting days [21], but the authors reported rMSSD only as a measure of time-domain HRV. Clays in a large-scale study of white and studies have shown that these people are more prone to have lower vagal tone and HRV decrements [22][23][24][25][26]. Secondly, we carefully selected participants excluding the subjects with disorders of the cardiovascular system, neuroendocrine and psychological or pharmacological treatments, which are known to have effects on the autonomic nervous system, and if not selectively associated with the exposure their inclusion might have contributed to get null results in terms of association between exposure and outcome.…”

Respiratory sinus arrhythmia and diseases of aging: Obesity, diabetes mellitus, and hypertension

“…In recent years, associations have been found between cardiac vagal tone (as reflected by respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) and other indices) and several physiologic processes, including congestive heart failure (Saul et al, 1988), diabetes (Lindmark et al, 2003), hypertension (Maver et al, 2004), and weight gain (Arrone et al, 1995). In addition, reliable individual differences in cardiac vagal tone have been established as have aging-associated reductions in vagal tone (Craft and Schwartz, 1995).…”

Skin Microcirculation in Primary Arterial Hypertension

“…In persons suffering from family history of arterial hypertension the changes in reactivity of central derived microcirculation, which resulted from altered sympathetic -vagal balance, accompanied by decreasing of parasympathetic activity [1,2], were observed. Similar results was obtained in previous own researches on persons suffering from arterial hypertension [3].…”