The psychological and hemodynamic features of patients with arterial hypertension under emotional stress

Abstract

The physiological, psychological, and behavioral features under emotional stress were compared in 44 patients with Stage II hypertensive disease (HD) (including 22 patients with the so-called office hypertension and 22 patients with the equal values of blood pressure (BP) on a working day and a day-off) and in 30 age and gender-matched healthy individuals During emotional stress, patients with HD had a significantly great rise in systolic BP as compared with healthy individuals (on the average by 11 and 3 mm Hg, respectively) The claims made by these patients were characterized by a rather great extent, instability and then nonverbal behavior was marked by a significantly large number of gestures and by altered voice tone as compared with the healthy individuals As compared with group 2 patients, the patients with office hypertension exhibited a rather great rise in systolic BP (on the average by 14 and 3 mm Hg, respectively) in response to emotional stress, no increase in reactive anxiety during emotional stress, a higher inadequacy frequency (69,2%) and instability (46,1%) of the level of claims, and behavioral peculiarities (a smaller number of gestures and postures, as well as greater mimics) as compared with patients in whom BP was the same or lower on a working day than on a day-off