Background: Essential hypertension may have a cause but our knowledge is not enough to recognize it. The sympathetic nervous system helps to control circulation. Increased incidence of tachycardia, arrhythmias in hypertension, suggests abnormality in sympathetic autonomic system. So the present study was aimed to study blood pressure and heart rate responses during sympathetic stress like ‘cold pressor test’ (CPT) and ‘sustained hand grip test’ (SHG) in stage 1 essential hypertensive subjects.

Study Setting and Design: Analytical, cross-sectional, comparative study in the Department of Physiology, B J medical college and Sassoon hospital, Pune.

Materials and Methods: 50 newly diagnosed essential hypertensive male subjects in the age group of 35 -50 years having stage 1 hypertension according to JNC 7 criteria were selected in study group. Healthy age and gender matched, 50 normotensive subjects were included in control group. After informed consent, blood pressure and heart rate responses were measured during sympathetic stress like ‘cold pressor test’ (CPT) and ‘sustained hand grip test’ (SHG) in the study group and the control group. Statistical analysis: Comparisons were performed using ‘z-test’ in the two groups.

Results:  During cold pressor test and sustained hand grip test blood pressure and heart rate responses were significantly increased in stage 1 essential hypertensive subjects as compared to normotensive subjects. (p<0.05)

Conclusion:  The sympathetic autonomic activity is increased in stage 1essential hypertensive subjects as compared to normotensive subjects.

Keywords: Hypertension, sympathetic autonomic function, cold pressor test (CPT), sustained hand grip test (SHG).

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Talele Pallavi

Tutor, Dept of Physiology,B. J. Government Medical College, Pune, India.

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