Role of the Autonomic Nervous System and Vascular Endothelial Factors in the Development of Primary Arterial Hypotension in Paediatric Patients

Background There is a dearth and inconsistency of data on the role of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) in the development of arterial hypotension. Also, little is known about the involvement of endothelial factors in the development of this disease. The aim of the study was to investigate the role of the ANS and endothelial factors or vasoregulators in the development of primary arterial hypotension (PAH) in children. Methods The cardiointervalography and clino-orthostatic test results of 113 children with PAH were compared with 88 healthy children of comparable age (7–11 years). Serum endothelial factors (nitric oxide and endothelins) of all children were measured. Results The findings revealed that children with PAH had higher activity of the sympathetic (p  Conclusions The inadequate response of the autonomic nervous system to the clino-orthostatic test in children with PAH is associated with disorders of both divisions of the autonomic nervous system as well as vascular endothelial factors.