TY - JOUR
T1 - Free plasma catecholamine levels in healthy subjects
T2 - A basal and dynamic study. The influence of age
AU - Blandini, F.
AU - Martignoni, E.
AU - Melzi D'Eril, G. V.
AU - Biasio, L.
AU - Sances, G.
AU - Lucarelli, C.
AU - Rizzo, V.
AU - Costa, A.
AU - Nappi, G.
PY - 1992
Y1 - 1992
N2 - We studied the levels of free plasma noradrenaline (norepinephrine, NE), adrenaline (epinephrine, E), and dopamine (DA) in 143 normal subjects, either basally or, in a part of them, in response to tour tests stimulating the sympathoadrenomedullary activity: the tilt-table test (TTT), the cold-pressor test (CPT), the mental-arithmetic test (MAT), and the insulin tolerance test (ITT). In both cases we evaluated the influence of age, which is considered the main physiological variable affecting the peripheral sympathetic activity. A normal distribution of values was observed, in the basal study, only for NE, while E and particularly, DA levels were distributed in an non-homogeneous fashion; a direct correlation was observed between age of subjects and NE levels, while neither E, nor DA levels showed any correlation with the aging process; sex did not influence any of the catecholamines. In the dynamic study, CPT, ITT and, above all, TTT elicited a significant rise in NE levels, while the E release was greatly stimulated by the insulin-induced hypoglycaemia. Neither NE, nor E levels rose after the MAT stimulation. Also in this case, the elderly showed an increased noradrenergic responsiveness when compared with the young subjects, confirming the existence of an 'up-regulation' of the peripheral sympathetic tone in old people.
AB - We studied the levels of free plasma noradrenaline (norepinephrine, NE), adrenaline (epinephrine, E), and dopamine (DA) in 143 normal subjects, either basally or, in a part of them, in response to tour tests stimulating the sympathoadrenomedullary activity: the tilt-table test (TTT), the cold-pressor test (CPT), the mental-arithmetic test (MAT), and the insulin tolerance test (ITT). In both cases we evaluated the influence of age, which is considered the main physiological variable affecting the peripheral sympathetic activity. A normal distribution of values was observed, in the basal study, only for NE, while E and particularly, DA levels were distributed in an non-homogeneous fashion; a direct correlation was observed between age of subjects and NE levels, while neither E, nor DA levels showed any correlation with the aging process; sex did not influence any of the catecholamines. In the dynamic study, CPT, ITT and, above all, TTT elicited a significant rise in NE levels, while the E release was greatly stimulated by the insulin-induced hypoglycaemia. Neither NE, nor E levels rose after the MAT stimulation. Also in this case, the elderly showed an increased noradrenergic responsiveness when compared with the young subjects, confirming the existence of an 'up-regulation' of the peripheral sympathetic tone in old people.
KW - Adrenaline
KW - Ageing
KW - Dopamine
KW - Noradrenaline
KW - Stress tests
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U2 - 10.3109/00365519209085435
DO - 10.3109/00365519209085435
M3 - Article
C2 - 1594891
AN - SCOPUS:0026578436
VL - 52
SP - 9
EP - 17
JO - Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation
JF - Scandinavian Journal of Clinical and Laboratory Investigation
SN - 0036-5513
IS - 1
ER -