ABSTRACT
It was discovered that patients suffering from essential hypertension (EH) of the hypokinetic circulatory type (the cardiac index less than 2.7 1/min/m2) manifest an elevated level of energy metabolism which is mediated by the increased arteriovenous difference according to oxygen, accompanied by an increase in oxygen utilization ratio. In patients, the total peripheral resistance was higher as compared to that in normal subjects (P less than 0.01). In patients with EH of the hyperkinetic circulatory type (the cardiac index over 3.4 1/min/m2), there was a considerable increment of the outward work of the heart left ventricle, reduction in the arteriovenous difference according to oxygen, and diminution of the oxygen utilization ratio as compared with normal subjects. At the same time the energy metabolism and total peripheral vascular resistance did not differ from those in the control group (P greater than 0.05).