Increased Sympathetic Activity in Cirrhosis

To the Editor: Like Bichet et al. (Dec. 16 issue)¹ we have recently observed that sympathetic nervous activity, as assessed by the plasma norepinephrine concentration, is dramatically increased in decompensated cirrhosis.² Since the kidney releases norepinephrine into the peripheral circulation in this condition,² we have suggested that increased sympathetic nervous activity may be of importance in the renal cortical vasoconstriction in decompensated cirrhosis.³ The results reported by Bichet et al. support the view that the sympathetic nervous system is an important component of the homeostatic mechanisms in advanced liver disease. These authors observed a relation between the plasma norepinephrine level,.