Autonomic and Vascular Control in Prehypertensive Subjects with a Family History of Arterial Hypertension.

Background: Individuals with a family history of systemic arterial hypertension (FHSAH) and / or prehypertension have a higher risk of developing this pathology.

Objective: To evaluate the autonomic and vascular functions of prehypertensive patients with FHSAH.

Methods: Twenty-five young volunteers with FHSAH, 14 normotensive and 11 prehypertensive subjects were submitted to vascular function evaluation by forearm vascular conductance(VC) during resting and reactive hyperemia (Hokanson®) and cardiac and peripheral autonomic modulation, quantified, respectively, by spectral analysis of heart rate (ECG) and systolic blood pressure (SBP) (FinometerPRO®).