[Elevation of total urinary catecholamines in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage]

We designed a prospective study in order to evaluate total urinary catecholamines in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) and correlate them with some prognostic factors and its complications. We studied 24 patients: 19 were normotensive, five had had a previous arterial hypertension that persisted during the SAH, and five developed the hypertension during the SAH. The latter showed cardiac complications with a more severely affected Hunt and Hess scale and a higher level of excretion of urinary catecholamines than the normotensive patients (p < 0.003). The cases with previous arterial hypertension that persisted during the SAH had more complications than the normotensive patients but in a lesser degree compared to chose who developed the hypertension during the SAH.