Description:
Abstract Autonomic function test is a non invasive measure of autonomic reactivity to
different stressors. This study was undertaken to determine the effect of gender on
parasympathetic reactivity in healthy, Nepali medical students and compare its differences
between the offsprings of parental hypertension and those without. Three cardiovascular
reflex tests were used to test the parasympathetic function: Heart rate response to a) Deep
breathing b) Standing and c) Valsalva Maneuver. The volunteers were asked if their parents
were hypertensive and those self reported cases were used as an assessment of parental
hypertension. 25 male and 25 female MBBS I and II year students volunteered for the
study. The result on comparison of three cardio reflex tests amongst males and females
suggested that females have a higher parasympathetic activity compared to males which
was statistically significant. Male students who reported that their parents were
hypertensive were found to have a significantly higher resting diastolic blood pressure
(albeit still within the normotensive range) than those with normotensive parents (P<0.01).
A similar difference was not found for females with a parental history of hypertension.