Viser til mekanismene for hvordan kortisol (og stress) hemmer blodsirkulasjon og over tid kan gi høyt blodtrykk og mange medfølgende sykdommer. Kortisols effekt på blodkar sammentrekning er først og fremst ved å øke reaksjonen og blodkarcellenes sensitivitet til adrenalin. Men også øke nyrenes tilbakeholdelse av salt.

http://cardiovascres.oxfordjournals.org/content/41/1/55.full

«In addition, corticosteroids in lesser amounts are essential for the maintenance of peripheral vascular resistance in healthy persons. This review details the proposed mechanisms by which corticosteroids maintain and, in excess, enhance vascular tone.»

«Disease states resulting from excesses of circulating (adreno)corticosteroids include primary hyperaldosteronism, renal artery stenosis, ACTH-secreting tumors, and administration of glucocorticoids for treatment of other diseases. Hypertension is commonly associated with these diseases. »

«Potent vasoconstrictor hormones that have been investigated include α-adrenergic agonists (norepinephrine), angiotensin II, arginine vasopressin, endothelin and thromboxanes.»

«Results from other studies have suggested that corticosteroids act directly on blood vessels in potentiating norepinephrine vasoconstrictor actions. »

«Corticosteroids enhance contractile responses to norepinephrine in humans. For example, Kurland and Freedberg [20]administered increasing doses of norepinephrine intravenously to three patients before and 24 h after initiation of glucocorticoid therapy and observed much greater pressor responses in the presence of corticosteroid than in the absence of corticosteroid. »

«For the most part, glucocorticoids and mineralocorticoids have been reported to enhance the vasoconstrictor actions of angiotensin II.»

Viser til at forskjellige steder i kroppen har forskjellig sensitivitet for kortisol:
«It is possible that differences in responses to corticosteroids in vascular beds in different parts of the body may explain the above-mentioned discrepancies. »

«From the above review, one can see that corticosteroids foster hypertension not only by enhancing renal sodium reabsorption but also by augmenting vascular tone. «