[Excretion of free dopamine, noradrenaline and adrenaline in 190 males in relation to age and blood pressure]

Abstract

The 24-h urinary excretion of free catecholamines was evaluated in: 62 healthy and 20 hypertensive (primary hypertension, stage 1 and 2) male subjects, less than or equal to 39 years of age, and in 64 healthy and 44 hypertensive (primary hypertension, stage II and III) male subjects greater than or equal to 40 years of age. Noradrenaline excretion correlates positively with the age, based on the date of all 190 subjects (r = 0.29, P less than 0.001) and for the 126 healthy subjects (r = 0.37, P less than 0.001), however not for the 64 hypertensive patients. Adrenaline and dopamine excretion does not show any significant correlation with the age of the investigated subjects, neither for all 190 subjects nor for the different groups. The noradrenaline-adrenaline ratio also correlates positively with the age (r = 0.28, P less than 0.001, n = 190). The younger hypertensives (less than or equal to 39 years of age) show a slightly but not significantly higher noradrenaline excretion; this, however, is significantly higher in the group of older hypertensive subjects (P less than 0.05; greater than or equal to 40 years of age). No significant differences are recognizable for adrenaline and dopamine excretion between normotensive and hypertensive subjects.