BACKGROUND There is substantial evidence that androgens may play a role in determining sex-specific blood pressure. Men are at higher risk for developing coronary heart disease or hypertension compared to premenopausal women. However, effects of androgens on the renal and cardiovascular system are complex. This review provides a critical overview of testosterone actions. METHODS We searched P...

Two sets of studies were performed in 13 patients with proved adrenal pheochromocytoma to test the hypothesis that the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is active and might contribute to the hypertensive state. Similar studies were performed in 15 additional patients considered to have essential hypertension. In the first set, 13 patients with pheochromocytoma were subjected to head-up tilt to a...

Data from conscious rats, dogs, and humans show that plasma arginine vasopressin (AVP) begins to exert vasoconstrictor activity at concentrations in the same range as those associated with maximum antidiuretic activity. Minimum pressor responses are observed with elevated plasma AVP, due in part to decreases of cardiac output and in part to withdrawal of sympathetic neural tone to various regio...

5-Hydroxytryptamine (5-HT; serotonin) was discovered more than 60 years ago as a substance isolated from blood. The neural effects of 5-HT have been well investigated and understood, thanks in part to the pharmacological tools available to dissect the serotonergic system and the development of the frequently prescribed selective serotonin-reuptake inhibitors. By contrast, our understanding of t...

This review attempts to delineate the underlying mechanisms leading to the development of hypertension as well as the function of vitamins and minerals in the regulation of blood pressure. Physiological processes that regulate cardiac output and systemic vascular resistance impact on the control of blood pressure. Metabolic abnormalities associated with the tetrad of hypertension, dyslipidaemia...