| In the present study the upper reference limits (URLs) for resting plasma norepinephrine, epinephrine, serum aldosterone, plasma renin activity, aldosterone/ renin activity ratio, as well as urinary vanillylmandelic acid in healthy Egyptian normotensive subjects over a range of ages (5-60 yr) were established. There was a significant age effect on plasma norepinephrine, UVMA, serum aldosterone and PRA, whereas a single URL for plasma epinephrine level is satisfactory. In uncomplicated untreated essential hypertensive subjects (5-60 yr), the average prevalence of elevation in the plasma norepinephrine, epinephrine and urinary vanillylmandelic acid above their corresponding URLs was 85.10,62.15 and 83.20 %, respectively. This suggests that elevation in... |
