Are symptoms of anxiety and depression associated with a decrease in blood pressure in a population-based cohort?
Contrary to previous hypotheses linking emotional stress to hypertension, long-term symptoms of anxiety and depression are associated with lower blood pressure.
This study do not support previous hypothesis that emotional stress may be a cause of hypertension. Our findings indicate that symptoms of anxiety and depression are associated with decrease in blood pressure, particularly when a high symptom level can be detected over decades.
Hildrum et al. (Thu,) studied this question.