Cardiovascular reactivity of hypertensive patients submitted to tasks that generate and reduce stress

• Grant number: 12/09013-5
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Start date: October 01, 2012
• End date: September 30, 2014
• Field of knowledge: Humanities - Psychology - Psychological Treatment and Prevention
• Principal Investigator: Ricardo Gorayeb
• Grantee: Ricardo Gorayeb
• Host Institution: Faculdade de Medicina de Ribeirão Preto (FMRP). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). Ribeirão Preto , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Cardiovascular Diseases (CDs) are the main cause of death worldwide and represent a huge burden in health assistance. They have a multifactorial etiology being determined by biological, social and psychological factors. One of the most frequently associated factors to CDs' onset is systemic arterial hypertension (SAH). Psychological variables have been associated to the onset of SAH and CDs, like stress, anxiety, depression and type D personality. These variables have effects upon cardiovascular reactivity, through variations in blood pressure or heart rate, which occur in response to a specific situation having a predictive capacity to the development of cardiac events. This study aims to analyze associations between psychological variables and cardiovascular reactivity in hypertensive patients. It is an experimental study, where the variables to be assessed will be stress (Lipp Stress Depression Inventory - ISSl), depression (Beck Depression Inventory - BDI), anxiety (Beck Anxiety Inventory - BAI), type D personality (DS-14) and social support (Social Support Scale - MOS). Participants will be 200 patients from the Hypertension Clinics, from Hospital das Clínicas de Ribeirão Preto (HCFMRPUSP), submitted to a stress generator task - present a speech about a defined theme to be watched by an audience - and a stress reduction task - muscle relaxation training. At the experimental situation, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as well as heart rate, will be measured at three different moments (baseline, stress generation period and muscle relaxation period). Results will be statistically described and the associations between demographic or psychological variables and cardiovascular reactivity levels will be analyzed. (AU)