Norepinephrine responsiveness in patients with borderline hypertension under three different sodium balances

The pressor effects of intravenous norepinephrine (NE) infusion (100 and 200 ng/kg/min for 15 min) were examined in 17 patients with borderline hypertension (BHT) and 15 age-matched normotensive subjects (NT) under three different sodium balances; the regular customary diet, treatment with diuretics, and the high-sodium diet. Treatment with diuretics decreased and high sodium diet increased the pressor response to NE in both groups but there were no significant differences in NE reactivity between the groups. The increments in mean blood pressure after NE infusion (200 ng/kg/min) during the three experimental periods correlated significantly with the preinfusion plasma NE concentration in both BHT and NT: r = -0.58 (p less than 0.01) and r = -0.54 (p less than 0.01), respectively. Neither the slopes nor the intercepts differed between the two groups. Thus, evidence presented indicates that BHT do not have increased pressor responsiveness to NE, and that NE pressor response depends upon basal sympathetic tone.