["Silent" myocardial ischemia and the activity of the sympathetic-adrenal system in hypertension patients].

The aim of the study was to assess the sympathoadrenal activity at the time of silent ischemia event in hypertensive patients. In 15 hospitalized hypertensive patients having silent ischemia event during Holter ECG monitoring while walking, blood samples for catecholamines were taken at the time of silent ischemia event, pointed with alarm by the real time ECG "Q Med" monitor (USA). Control blood samples were taken under the same conditions without ST-segment depression. Plasma noradrenaline (NA) during silent ischemia was significantly higher than the control level without ischemia (458 +/- 71 ng/l vs 717 +/- 95 ng/l) (p less than 0.01). The changes in plasma NA correlated with left ventricular mass assessed by echocardiography (r = 0.70, p less than 0.01). The role of sympathoadrenal hyperactivity in the genesis of silent myocardial ischemia in patients with essential hypertension is discussed.