[Traffic noise and hypertension risk. Hypothalamus theory of essential hypertension. Second communication (author's transl)].

In connection with the Bonn Study on Traffic Noise, 56 males with healthy cardiovascular systems were selected at random from two areas with different traffic noise conditions. The blood pressure was measured under the influence of a 5 minute standardized stressor and a 30 minute exposure to traffic noise. The 17 subjects with hereditary tendency to hypertension reacted significantly under the influence of both stressors with more marked rises in systolic and diastolic blood pressures than the 35 subjects who denied a hereditary tendency. On the other hand, the different residential areas did not affect the blood pressures obtained experimentally. The results support the hypothalamus theory of essential hypertension through the decisive etiological factors. At the same time they form the basis of a working hypothesis for a prospective study. According to this it is expected that males with a hereditary tendency to hypertension who have been exposed to traffic noise for several years will be more likely to develop hypertension.