From the first spectral analysis of blood pressure variability in the world to the present time: contribution of the Department of Physiology of the Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno.

The review shows the significance of blood pressure regulation studies conducted during several decades at the Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno. Continuous non-invasive blood pressure measurement was first introduced and patented here and, with the obtained data, the first spectral analysis of blood pressure was performed. This method was used in many different physiological studies on the relationship of blood pressure regulation to circulatory parameters, breathing, and baroreflex sensitivity. The article deals with studies on risk stratification of sudden cardiac death according to decreased baroreflex sensitivity, 24-hour heart rate variability, the amount of extrasystoles and late potentials. Importance of the new method of determination of one summation risk index is described here. A summary of the new conception of the relationship between low baroreflex sensitivity and hypertension is presented. Here, not only pathological changes of the vessel wall but also increased sympathetic activity and genetic predisposition play a role. Importance of studies conducted in young adults is highlighted, as inherited BRS decrease contributes to earlier blood pressure increase in the young. This research is highly topical, since prevention of hypertension in childhood is possible. Recent studies are dedicated to blood pressure regulation in young diabetics.