Title: The peripheral blood flow and rectal and skin temperatures in hypertension
Abstract: The peripheral blood flow and average skin and rectal temperatures have been measured under basal conditions in 56 patients suffering from arterial hypertension. A modification of the method of Hardy and Soderstrom was used. Observations were made at an environmental temperature of 27° C. and 50 per cent humidity. 1. The average peripheral blood flow for the group is slightly decreased as compared with normal subjects, but the difference does not appear to be statistically significant; the range is essentially the same as in normal subjects. 2. The rectal temperature is higher than in normal subjects, the temperature being over 37° C. in most hypertensive subjects and under 37° C. in the normal control group. 3. The average weighted skin temperature is lower than that in normal subjects, but the difference is not significant statistically. 4. In hypertensive patients the temperature is higher than normal in the upper part of the body, is near the normal level in the middle part of the body, and is cooler than normal in the lower part, especially in the feet. 5. There were no significant differences between the peripheral blood flow or rectal or skin temperatures of the men and those of the women with hypertension. 6. The level of the peripheral blood flow is unrelated to the level of the systolic or diastolic blood pressure in individual patients, and a linear correlation between peripheral blood flow and blood pressure level was not apparent. 7. In these patients with hypertension there was a linear correlation between the level of peripheral blood flow and the average weighted skin temperature, in that the higher the skin temperature the higher the peripheral blood flow. 8. The basal metabolic rate in hypertensive patients is within the normal range. 9. The hypertension of patients observed in this study exhibits different characteristics from those prevailing in coarctation of the aorta and in pheochromocytoma, in which the local skin temperatures are, respectively, warmer and cooler than normal.
Publication Year: 1946
Publication Date: 1946-05-01
Language: en
Type: article
Indexed In: ['crossref', 'pubmed']
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Cited By Count: 14
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