What question did this study set out to answer?

To determine whether high cholesterol amplifies blood pressure reactivity to mental stress and to examine if lowering cholesterol with lovastatin blunts this response.

June 1, 1997American Journal of HypertensionOpen Access

Effects of Cholesterol Reduction on BP Response to Mental Stress in Patients With High Cholesterol

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Why the study?

Does lovastatin reduce systolic blood pressure response to mental stress in healthy, normotensive patients with high cholesterol?

Population

70 healthy, normotensive subjects. A subset of 26 high cholesterol subjects participated in the intervention…

Comparison

Lovastatin 20 mg/day for 6 weeks vs Cross-over design

Design

Other

Follow-up

6 weeks

Authors

BSBong Hyun SungKorea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

May attenuate stress BP reactivity in hypercholesterolemia; leaves open confirmation in randomized trials before any practice change.

Key Points

To determine whether high cholesterol amplifies blood pressure reactivity to mental stress and to examine if lowering cholesterol with lovastatin blunts this response.
Measured baseline blood pressure and hemodynamic reactivity during a standard mental arithmetic test (MAT) in 37 normotensive subjects with high cholesterol and 33 normocholesterolemic controls.
Administered 20 mg/day of lovastatin for 6 weeks using a crossover design in 26 subjects with high cholesterol to evaluate changes in lipid profile and stress-induced blood pressure response.
Subjects with high cholesterol exhibited higher baseline systolic BP (122 vs 118 mm Hg, P < .05) and significantly greater systolic BP spikes during MAT compared to controls (18 ± 8 vs 10 ± 5 mm Hg, P < .05), with maximal systolic BP changes correlating with serum cholesterol (R = 0.41, P < .001).
Lovastatin treatment reduced total cholesterol by 26% and LDL by 34%, blunting the systolic BP rise during MAT by 8 mm Hg (P < .05) without significantly changing baseline systolic BP (-3 mm Hg, P = NS).

Structured PICO

Does lovastatin reduce systolic blood pressure response to mental stress in healthy, normotensive patients with high cholesterol?

Population

70 healthy, normotensive subjects (37 with high cholesterol, 33 normal cholesterol controls). A subset of 26 high cholesterol subjects participated in the intervention phase.

Intervention

Lovastatin 20 mg/day for 6 weeks

Comparator

Cross-over design (specific control arm not explicitly detailed, likely baseline or placebo)

Outcome

Systolic blood pressure response to a standard mental arithmetic test (MAT)surrogate

Lowering cholesterol with lovastatin reduces exaggerated systolic blood pressure reactivity to mental stress in normotensive patients with high cholesterol.

Cite This Study

Bong Hyun Sung (1997) studied this question.

synapsesocial.com/papers/6a72dc31c4922f8b04f3ce61 https://doi.org/10.1016/s0895-7061(97)00050-2

View Full Paper

Ask AI

Bookmark

Effects of Cholesterol Reduction on BP Response to Mental Stress in Patients With High Cholesterol

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Structured PICO

Cite This Study

Effects of Cholesterol Reduction on BP Response to Mental Stress in Patients With High Cholesterol

Discussion

Member takes

Implication

Key Points

Structured PICO

Cite This Study

Also Consider

Also Consider