OBJECTIVE To study the role of increased sympathetic tone in pathogenesis of hypertension in patients with essential hypertension with neurovascular compression. METHODS Twenty-three patients with essential hypertension, 13 patients with secondary hypertension, and 46 normotensive subjects were investigated. Neurovascular compression was evaluated by MRT. The power spectral components of heart rate variability as indices of autonomic nerve tone were determined to investigate the possibility that sympathetic tone mediates the neurovascular compression-induced increase in blood pressure. RESULTS Neurovascular compression of the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) was observed in 70% of essential hypertension group, none of secondary hyperension group and 16% of normotensive group (P < 0.001). The age-adjusted low-frequency power spectral density (A-PSD) (0.04 to 0.15 Hz), which is an index of sympathetic tone, was significantly higher in patients with essential hypertension (139.5 +/- 6.7%) with neurovascular compression than in essential hypertension patients without neurovascular compression (92.2 +/- 6.8%), normotensive subjects with (102.8 +/- 13.0%) and without neurovascular compression (100.1 +/- 4.1%), and patients with secondary hypertension (95.7 +/- 10.2%) (P < 0.001). There was no significant difference in the high-frequency A-PSD (0.15 to 0.40 Hz), which is an index of vagal tone, among groups. CONCLUSIONS Neurovascular compression was not always associated with an increase in sympathetic nerve tone. Hypertension was present in subjects with neurovascular compression, who had increased sympathetic tone but not in those with normal sympathetic tone. An increase in sympathetic tone may mediate the neurovascular compression-induced increase in blood pressure. Journal of Human Hypertension (2000) 14, 807-811

中文翻译：

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交感神经张力增加在原发性高血压伴神经血管压迫的发病机理中的强大作用。

目的探讨交感神经张力增高在原发性高血压伴神经血管压迫的高血压患者发病中的作用。方法调查了23例原发性高血压，13例继发性高血压和46例正常血压的受试者。通过MRT评估神经血管压迫。确定了作为自主神经张力指标的心率变异性的功率谱分量，以研究交感神经介导神经血管压迫引起的血压升高的可能性。结果在原发性高血压组中有70％观察到了鼻侧腹外侧延髓（RVLM）的神经血管压迫，继发性高血压组和正常血压组中均未观察到神经血管压迫（P <0.001）。年龄调整后的低频功率谱密度（A-PSD）（0.04至0.15 Hz）是交感神经张力的指标，在​​伴有神经血管压迫的原发性高血压患者中（139.5 +/- 6.7％）明显高于无神经血管压迫的原发性高血压患者（92.2 +/- 6.8％），无神经血管压迫的正常血压患者（102.8 +/- 13.0％）和继发性高血压（95.7 +/-） 10.2％）（P <0.001）。各组之间的迷走神经张力指标高频A-PSD（0.15至0.40 Hz）没有显着差异。结论神经血管压迫并不总是与交感神经张力增加有关。高血压患者存在神经血管受压，那些具有较高交感的人，但没有那些具有正常交感的人。交感神经张力的增加可以介导神经血管压迫引起的血压升高。人类高血压杂志（2000）14，807-811