Plasma dopamine β hydroxylase and noradrenaline amounts in essential hypertension

Plasma dopamine β hydroxylase (DβH) amounts were measured by radio immunoassay in 28 patients, 20 of whom had essential hypertension. There was a positive correlation between resting diastolic blood pressure and plasma DβH concentration. Plasma DβH amounts also correlated significantly with those of plasma noradrenaline (NA) in individual patients. These findings provide further support for the conclusions drawn from studies of plasma catecholamines that the sympathetic nervous system contributes toward the maintenance of the elevated blood pressure in essential hypertension.