Altered pain perception in hypertensive humans.

Sensory and pain thresholds to electrical stimulation of tooth pulps were measured in normotensive and essential hypertensive unmedicated human subjects. In both adult and young subjects there was a significant correlation between blood pressure and pain sensitivity: hypertensives had a higher threshold for sensation of pain in the tooth-pulp test than normotensive controls. An interrelationship between blood pressure and pain regulation is suggested.