Concomitantly higher resting arterial blood pressure and transduction of sympathetic neural activity in human obesity without hypertension

Seth W Holwerda; Megan E Gangwish; Rachel E Luehrs; Virginia R Nuckols; John P Thyfault; John M Miles; Gary L Pierce

doi:10.1097/HJH.0000000000003335

Back

Concomitantly higher resting arterial blood pressure and transduction of sympathetic neural activity in human obesity without hypertension

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Concomitantly higher resting arterial blood pressure and transduction of sympathetic neural activity in human obesity without hypertension

Seth W Holwerda, Megan E Gangwish, Rachel E Luehrs, Virginia R Nuckols, John P Thyfault, John M Miles and Gary L Pierce

Journal of hypertension, Vol.41(2), pp.326-335

02/01/2023

DOI: 10.1097/HJH.0000000000003335

PMCID: PMC9812452

PMID: 36583358

View Online

Abstract

Central (abdominal) obesity is associated with elevated adrenergic activity and arterial blood pressure (BP). Therefore, we tested the hypothesis that transduction of spontaneous muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA) to BP, that is, sympathetic transduction, is augmented in abdominal obesity (increased waist circumference) and positively related to prevailing BP. Young/middle-aged obese (32 ± 7 years; BMI: 36 ± 5 kg/m2, n = 14) and nonobese (29 ± 10 years; BMI: 23 ± 4 kg/m2, n = 14) without hypertension (24-h ambulatory average BP < 130/80 mmHg) were included. MSNA (microneurography) and beat-to-beat BP (finger cuff) were measured continuously and the increase in mean arterial pressure (MAP) during 15 cardiac cycles following MSNA bursts of different patterns (single, multiples) and amplitude (quartiles) was signal-averaged over a 10 min baseline period. MSNA burst frequency was not significantly higher in obese vs. nonobese (21 ± 3 vs. 17 ± 3 bursts/min, P = 0.34). However, resting supine BP was significantly higher in obese compared with nonobese (systolic: 127 ± 3 vs. 114 ± 3; diastolic: 76 ± 2 vs. 64 ± 1 mmHg, both P < 0.01). Importantly, obese showed greater increases in MAP following multiple MSNA bursts (P = 0.02) and MSNA bursts of higher amplitude (P = 0.02), but not single MSNA bursts (P = 0.24), compared with nonobese when adjusting for MSNA burst frequency. The increase in MAP following higher amplitude bursts among all participants was associated with higher resting supine systolic (R = 0.48; P = 0.01) and diastolic (R = 0.48; P = 0.01) BP when controlling for MSNA burst frequency, but not when also controlling for waist circumference (P > 0.05). In contrast, sympathetic transduction was not correlated with 24-h ambulatory average BP. Sympathetic transduction to BP is augmented in abdominal obesity and positively related to higher resting supine BP but not 24-h ambulatory average BP.

Hypertension

Arterial Pressure

Blood Pressure - physiology

Heart Rate - physiology

Humans

Middle Aged

Muscle, Skeletal - innervation

Obesity - complications

Obesity, Abdominal

Sympathetic Nervous System

Details

Title: Subtitle: Concomitantly higher resting arterial blood pressure and transduction of sympathetic neural activity in human obesity without hypertension
Creators: Seth W Holwerda - Kansas Center for Metabolism and Obesity
Megan E Gangwish - Department of Anesthesiology
Rachel E Luehrs - Department of Kinesiology, North Central College, Naperville, Illinois
Virginia R Nuckols - Department of Health and Human Physiology
John P Thyfault - University of Kansas Medical Center
John M Miles - University of Kansas Medical Center
Gary L Pierce - University of Iowa
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of hypertension, Vol.41(2), pp.326-335
DOI: 10.1097/HJH.0000000000003335
PMID: 36583358
PMCID: PMC9812452
NLM abbreviation: J Hypertens
ISSN: 0263-6352
eISSN: 1473-5598
Language: English
Date published: 02/01/2023
Academic Unit: Health, Sport, and Human Physiology ; Internal Medicine
Record Identifier: 9984355058702771

Metrics

14 Record Views

11 Times Cited - Web of Science