Venous volume and blood flow in hand at rest and during psychological stress in male relatives to hypertensive patients.

A total of 19 male relatives to hypertensive individuals were examined with regard to blood flow and venous volume in the hand at rest and during a psychological stress test. They were compared to 19 male controls without heredity for hypertension. There were no significant differences between the groups in hand blood flow or venous volume either at rest or during the test. The increase in vascular resistance during psychological stress was significantly higher in relatives than in controls. Possible mechanisms behind the differences in arterial vascular reactivity between the groups are discussed.