Role Of Catecholamines In Cardiovascular Diseases Hypertension

A concise, in-depth analysis of the status of the sympathetic system in heart diseases This book summarizes the functional status of the sympathetic neural system in cardiological diseased states and highlights aspects of sympathetic neural activity that are important to an overall understanding of the pathophysiology process. Critical reviews of methods for evaluating sympathetic activity are discussed, existing data is closely scrutinized, and attempts are made to delineate the factors derived from increased sympathetic activity. The book provides a physiologically and clinically based approach to the investigation of the involvement of catecholamines in cardiovascular diseases, which makes it a valuable addition to the reference collections of researchers, clinical scientists, and graduate students.

An International Symposium "Catecholamines and the Heart" was held in Munich in May 1981, which was organized in cooperation with the Council on Cardiac Metabolism of the International Society and Federation of Cardiology and with the Microcirculation Working Group of the European Society of Cardiology. It was the aim of the organizers to evaluate in this Symposium the recent advances made in the field of sympathetic control of heart function. Particular attention was given to neural sympathetic pathways, to mechanisms and consequences of adrenoceptor stimulation and blockade as well as to clinically relevant implications mainly regarding the significance of catecholamines and of adrenoceptors in various heart diseases. The broad scope was covered in 34 papers presented by physiologists, pharmacologists and cardiologists during a two day meeting which was attended by an international audience. This book includes all papers as well as the discussions following each presentation. To accomplish rapid publication the manuscripts are published as submitted by the authors. The discussions were edited making use of the written questions and answers of the discussants. The Symposium was generously sponsored by Astra Chemicals GmbH, Wedell Holstein, Germany, which thus made possible a very fruitful exchange of information, ideas and concepts between specialists in various disciplines. The organizers gratefully acknowledge this support once again and would like to thank Dr. T. Kreuzer, the representative of Astra Chemicals, for his personal engagement.

The starting point for understanding the roles of stress and catecholamines in cardiovascular disorders is a theory defining stress. This book presents a new homeostatic theory of stress and distress and uses it to explain how systems using the endogenous catecholamines - norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine - and other effector systems maintain the internal environment during stress. The theory proposes coordinated activation of the body's several stress systems in primitively specific patterns during exposure to various stressors. Comparator homeostats interpret afferent information about specific physiological or chemical variables and regulate operations of the effector systems. Via a hierarchical mosaic of central nerve cell clusters, the brain constantly redefines homeostasis by resetting homeostats, especially during stress.

In this edition of the Atlas of Hypertension, Dr. Norman Hollenberg and more than 20 leading authorities have worked together to capture the most updated and pertinent information in the field of hypertension. This new edition is a modern and complete visual library of up-to-date information on the most current pharmacologic and treatment advances in the field. With over 600 vivid illustrations, clinical photographs, instructive diagrams and charts, this updated reference provides a detailed and accurate insight into treatment and management of hypertension, covering a full range of topics. Together with detailed legends and extensive reference listings, the illustrations deliver comprehensive guidance to effective diagnosis and treatment of a wide breadth of these clinical challenges.

Hypertensive heart disease is one of the most frequent diseases in man. It is esti mated that there are six to eight million hypertensive patients in the Federal Re public of Germany today. This corresponds with an incidence of 10%-15% in the whole population. Approximately between three and four million show organic eardiac manifestations of hypertension. Of all deaths occurring before the age of 65,30%-40% are attributable to hypertension, and the total morta lity from hypertension is about 20%-25%. Recent epidemiological and clini cal studies have revealed similar figures for other countries, such as the United States and Japan. Hypertensive hypertrophy and cardiac failure are found to be many times more frequent than eardiae hypertrophy and failure of any other origin. Despite the apparent clinical and social importance of the biologieal system "blood pressu re and the heart", data on eardiac performance, on systemic and coronary haemodynamics and on the morphological, bioehemical and contractile proper ti es of ventrieular heart muscle in both experimental and clinical hypertension are rare. This is the reason and stimulus for having organized this symposium, which is the first one coneeming this topie.