Hypertension and anxiety

Abstract

1. 1. Epinephrine (E) as well as norepinephrine (NE) was infused during ganglion blockade in 22 hypertensive and 13 normotensive subjects and circulatory responses including digital vascular reactivity (DVR) were recorded. The apparent NE secretion rate (ANESR) was also measured in most of the subjects. 2. 2. The hypertensive group included many patients with labile as well as with established essential hypertension. 3. 3. Formal psychological tests were administered to evaluate personality “trait” anxiety (IPAT test) as well as to assess both momentary affect and rapid shifts of overt emotions in the following categories: pleasurable affect, depression, anxiety, hostility, and combined unpleasant affect (MARS test). 4. 4. No significant correlation was found between IPAT anxiety scores and DVR to E or NE, initial or resting blood pressure, initial or resting heart rate, or between such scoring and changes in blood pressure or heart rate during E infusion, in both normotensive and hypertensive groups. Correlation was significant between anxiety scores and diastolic blood pressure decrease during E infusion, but in a different direction for normotensive as against hypertensive subjects. 5. 5. Epinephrine infusion induced a significant increase in anxiety and combined unpleasant affect of a similar magnitude in normotensive and hypertensive subjects. 6. 6. In the hypertensive group, correlation between DVR to E and anxiety as well as unpleasant affect during E infusion was significant, whereas such correlation was not significant in the normotensive group. 7. 7. Although scoring for personality “trait” anxiety was no higher in the hypertensive than in the normotensive group, DVR to E was significantly higher in the hypertensive group.