Impairment in Cardiac Autonomic Regulation Preceding Arterial Hypertension in Humans

Abstract
Background— Subjects in the upper-normal range of arterial pressure have an excess cardiovascular risk, which suggests that other factors, such as impaired autonomic regulation, might be implicated. This study was designed to assess whether noninvasive markers of cardiac and vascular autonomic regulation might already be altered in subjects with high-normal arterial pressure levels.