WEDNESDAY, June 5, 2002 (HealthDayNews) -- Many otherwise healthy black Americans continue to retain salt even after the stress that caused their blood pressure to elevate is gone. This keeps blood pressure and volume elevated for long periods and increases the risk of hypertension, says a new Medical College of Georgia study.
A third of 118 black teens between the ages of 15 and 18 had an impaired ability to eliminate salt in their urine hours after their stress subsided, says the study, which was presented at a recent American Society of Hypertension meeting in New York City.
Blood pressure naturally increases during stress by constricting blood vessels in the short term. Later on, it stays high by directing the kidneys to retain more salt, thereby increasing blood volume.
Previous studies looking at why black Americans are at increased risk for hypertension have supported the idea that they have an exaggerated response to stress, the study notes.
One key to restoring normal blood pressure is to secrete salt in urine. But the researchers say this study shows that mechanism is impaired in some black youths who have normal blood pressure. The scientists say this seems to indicate that the interaction between salt and stress is more important than either of the factors taken separately.
More information
This article from the Medical College of Wisconsin's HealthLink magazine explains the sensitivity to salt experienced by many blacks.
