Pressor factors and cardiovascular pressor responsiveness in lean and overweight normal or hypertensive subjects.

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Abstract
Several blood pressure-regulating factors including exchangeable Na, blood volume, plasma renin, aldosterone, norepinephrine (NE), epinephrine (E) levels, urinary catecholamine excretion rates and cardiovascular responsiveness to infused NE and angiotensin II (AII) were compared among age-matched subgroups of normal subjects (15 with normal weight, 15 overweight) and patients with essential hypertension (15 with either normal weight, overweight or obesity). Exchangeable Na, blood volume, plasma and urinary Na and K, plasma renin, aldosterone and E levels and NE or E excretion rates did not differ significantly among the 5 subgroups. Minimal differences included a slightly higher heart rate in overweight patients than in overweight normal subjects (P < 0.01) and a tendency for a higher plasma NE in overweight than in normal weight patients. Plasma NE obtained immediately before NE infusion as well as the plasma clearance of NE did not differ among the 5 subgroups except, however, for a somewhat low NE clearance in obese patients. The NE pressor dose tended to be lower in normal weight hypertensive than in normal weight normotensive subjects. No alteration was apparent in overweight or obese hypertensive patients. Pressor responses to AII were similar in the different subgroups. Overweight does not apparently confer a unique aberration in the body Na-volume state, circulating renin, aldosterone or catecholamines, or cardiovascular responses to NE or AII which result in hypertension.