Nerve Conduction Velocity in the Assessment of Hypertension

Abstract

Motor nerve conduction velocity was measured in 52 hypertensive and 10 control subjects. Reduction of nerve conduction velocity paralleled elevation of blood pressure and retinal changes. No correlation was found between nerve conduction velocity and the duration of hypertension. Nerve conduction velocity can provide us with an objective measurable index of the severity of hypertension. Peripheral neuropathy may accompany a number of diseases of varying etiology. It is noted frequently in diabetes mellitus, uremia, and malignant tumors. Measurements of motor nerve conduction velocities in these conditions revealed that a functional conduction defect may precede the overt clinical manifestations of peripheral neuropathy.¹Reduced motor nerve conduction velocity is therefore an early indicator of subclinical nerve involvement. The exact nature and pathogenesis of the neural lesions is unknown. There is, however, some evidence, derived mainly from studies in diabetes, which suggests that degenerative vascular changes in the vasa nervorum may be