Abnormal catecholamine urinary excretion after emotional stimulus in patients with cerebral hemorrhage.

The epinephrine (E) and norepinephrine (NE) urinary excretion before and after a mild "emotional stimulus" (ES) was determined in 22 patients with cerebral infarction and 30 patients with cerebral hemorrhage, as well as in 18 normotensive and 18 hypertensive controls. In patients with cerebral infarction, the majority normotensive, the "emotional stimulus" induced a significant increase in NE excretion, but non-significant alterations in E excretion. Similar changes were noted in normotensive controls. In patients with cerebral hemorrhage, almost all hypertensive, and in hypertensive controls, ES brought about a consistent rise in E excretion without influencing significantly the NE excretion. The presence of a constant increase in E excretion after a mild emotion not only in patients with cerebral hemorrhage but also in subjects with uncomplicated essential hypertension, suggests that the E release found in patients with cerebral hemorrhage is related to the hypertensive state pre-existing the stroke rather than to hemorrhagic stroke itself. The pattern of catecholamine discharge in hypertensive patients might play a part in the occurrence of cerebral hemorrhagic accidents. The epinephrine discharges induce sudden increases in systolic blood pressure which could lead to the rupture of cerebral vessels with hyalinotic or atherosclerotic alterations.