s 71 and diabetes. However, scanty data are available on the role of psychological factors on arterial stiffness. The aim of the current cross-sectional study was to evaluate the association… Click to show full abstract
s 71 and diabetes. However, scanty data are available on the role of psychological factors on arterial stiffness. The aim of the current cross-sectional study was to evaluate the association between depression, anxiety, perceived stress, Type A personality, and Type D personality and Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV) in a cohort of hypertensive patients, using baseline examination data of the TIPICO project. Methods: A total of 259 outpatients (ages 18e80 years) followed by the Hypertension Unit of S. Gerardo Hospital (Monza, Italy) affected by essential hypertension were recruited. Aortic stiffness was evaluated by c-f PWV. Moreover, anamnestic data, clinical BP, and laboratory data were evaluated. Patients were asked to complete a battery of psychological questionnaires under the guidance of a psychologist. Results: At T0 mean age was 55.9 10.1years, SBP/DBP were 135.6 17.7/ 82.5 9.1 mmHg and PWV was 8.6 2.1m/s. The multivariate stepwise linear regression analysis showed that age (betaZ 0.284, p< 0.001), pulse pressure (betaZ 0.369, p< 0.001), dyslipidemia (betaZ 0.130, pZ 0.012), family history of CV disease (betaZ 0.123, pZ 0.017), and depression (betaZ 0.126, pZ 0.014) were significantly and independently associated with PWV. Conclusion: Among psychological factors, higher levels of depression is related to higher PWV, while anxiety, perceived stress, Type-A personality and Type-D personality are not. Depression assessment and target intervention to reduce it should be recommended in hypertensive patients.
               
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