Key result
Mental arithmetic and mirror tracing both significantly increased blood pressure, heart rate, cardiac index, and plasma renin, while mental arithmetic also increased cholesterol and triglycerides.
Why the study?
Do mental stress tasks (mental arithmetic and mirror tracing) alter hemodynamic and endocrine parameters in untreated patients with borderline hypertension?
RCT (n=40)
random sequence
Do mental stress tasks (mental arithmetic and mirror tracing) alter hemodynamic and endocrine parameters in untreated patients with borderline hypertension?
Mental stress tasks induce significant acute hemodynamic and endocrine changes in patients with untreated borderline hypertension, which may be relevant to the progression of atherosclerosis.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Acute mental stress responses in borderline hypertension remain hypothesis-generating; leaves open links to atherosclerosis progression.
Mental arithmetic and mirror tracing were compared in 40 untreated patients with borderline hypertension, tested in random sequence in standardized protocols. Both tasks significantly increased systolic and diastolic blood pressure, heart rate, cardiac index, plasma renin, and decreased peripheral resistance. Mental arithmetic also increased cholesterol, triglycerides and HDL; plasma catecholamines were not changed significantly. Lipid changes were correlated with blood pressure changes. These methods will be useful in exploring the relationships between hemodynamic reactivity to stress, and the presence and progression of atherosclerosis, as well as testing the effects of antihypertensive drugs on stress-induced changes that may influence atherosclerotic complications of hypertension.
No takes yet. Share an insight, caveat, or question.
Spence et al. (1990) conducted an RCT in borderline hypertension (n=40). Mental arithmetic vs. Mirror tracing was evaluated on Hemodynamic and endocrine changes. Mental arithmetic and mirror tracing both significantly increased blood pressure, heart rate, cardiac index, and plasma renin, while mental arithmetic also increased cholesterol and triglycerides.
Synapse has enriched 10 related papers. Consider them for comparative context: