Introduction: Hypertension is recognised following thermal injury in childhood, but the mechanism is unknown. Hormones associated with BP control are raised following such injury.

Hypothesis: Sequential hormone measurements are correlated with BP following thermal injury.

Study Design/Setting: A cohort study in a tertiary children's burns unit in South East Scotland.

Patients: Eleven patients 0.6-12.3 years (mean, 3 years) and burns sizes 10-61% (mean, 22%)

Measurements: Adrenaline (A) and Noradrenaline (NA) by HPLC; Angiotensin (A2), Cortisol (C) and Vasopressin (AVP) by radioimmunoassay. On admission and at 6, 12, 18, 24, 36, 48, 60, 80, 108 hours following admission. Mean values were correlated with systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressures.

Results: Correlations were measured over first 24hours and the complete study period (108hrs) Table

Table 1
Full size table

Conclusion: Strong association exists between AVP and both SBP and DBP, and NA and both SBP and DBP and cortisol with DBP following thermal injury in childhood. There seems to be no association of BP with A2 or A concentrations.