BACKGROUND: The role of factors influencing the cerebral regulation ofblood pressure must be considered in the etiopathogenesis of essential hypertension The aim of our workwas to explore the possibilities for differentiating certain clinical, functional and electrophysiologicalsigns in young and adult hypertensives. This could help us to determine whether centrally active antihypertensivedrugs may be more suitable than others.MATERIAL/METHODS: We examined somatosensory evoked potentials(latencies of wave deflections and amplitudes) in two groups of patients with essential hypertension.The first group consisted of 25 hypertensive patients aged 20 to 30 years with onset before age 20 (n=25).The second group consisted of 40 hypertensive patients aged 40 to 60 years with onset after the age of30. The results were compared with those obtained from age-correlated healthy controls.RESULTS: The mostinteresting changes were observed in the amplitudes of somatosensory evoked potentials in the group ofjuvenile patients with hypertension. The decrease in the amplitude of all wave deflections was very compact,consistent, and statistically significant even after repeated examinations. This finding raises the possibilityof influence or damage to the peripheral afferentation of signals in juvenile patients, with hypertensionas an expression of the reactions of brainstem structures.CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that afferentimpulses and the reactivity of brainstem structures may play a role in the etiopathogenesis of hypertension.

Keywords: Evoked Potentials, Somatosensory, Hypertension