Cardiovascular reactivity to stress in black male offspring of hypertensive parents

Abstract

The forearm blood flow (FABF) and other cardiovascular responses of 20 black men with a parental history of hypertension were compared with the responses of 18 black men without a parental history of hypertension. The results showed that sons of hypertensive parents had higher systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure than sons of normotensive parents during the initial assessment as well as significantly higher self-determined home SBP. Sons of hypertensive parents had higher SBP responses than sons of normotensive parents during mental challenge and the cold pressor, but there were no group differences in DBP, heart rate (HR), (FABF), or forearm vascular resistance (FAVR) responses to the stressors. Significant positive correlations between HR and FABF responses to the stressors were observed for sons of hypertensive parents. Finally, the results showed that the BP and FAVR responses to the cold pressor (a painful task that elicits alpha-adrenergic activity) were significantly higher than responses to mental challenge (a task that elicits beta-adrenergic activity) for both groups. The implications of these results are discussed in light of current research suggesting that blacks may have a greater tendency toward BP responses mediated by alpha-adrenergic increases in vascular resistance.