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Cardiovascular Reactivity and Risk for Cardiovascular Disease

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Handbook of Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine

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Abstract

Cardiovascular reactivity (CVR) provides an index of change from a resting level in some physiological parameter when the individual is exposed to stressful stimuli. Blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR) have been the most studied outcomes; persons who exhibit larger BP and HR responses to stress are thought to be at greater risk for hypertension (HTN) and for coronary heart disease (CHD). This chapter discusses aspects of CVR, including its empirical origins and conceptual models that link CVR and cardiovascular disease (CVD). We review cross-sectional studies—many have found, for example, that higher resting BP level and parental history of HTN are related to CVR in normotensive persons. In addition, prospective studies provide support showing that persons with greater CVR at baseline are more likely to develop HTN and various markers of CHD years later, as well as predicting clinical events. This chapter also discusses predictors of CVR, including genetic, personality, and situational factors. We also discuss other measures, such as cortisol, that are being examined using the CVR model. Finally, we provide information concerning the conduct of reactivity studies, with an emphasis on practical suggestions and possible pitfalls. We conclude that CVR remains a viable pathway for a continued study of the development of future chronic illness and that a good deal of further research is justified.

This chapter was updated and expanded from Gerin W (2004) Cardiovascular Reactivity in N. Anderson (Ed.) Encyclopedia of Health and Behavior, Sage Publishing.

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Acknowledgments

The preparation of this manuscript was supported by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA, Grant HL089402.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biobehavioral Health, The Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA

    William Gerin

Authors
  1. William Gerin
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Correspondence to William Gerin .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Maryland, Baltimore County, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Shari R. Waldstein

  2. Department of Medical and Clinical Psychology, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands

    Willem J. Kop

  3. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Duke University Medical Center, Durham, NC, USA

    Edward C. Suarez

  4. Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center, Oklahoma City, OK, USA

    William R. Lovallo

  5. Division of Gerontology Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine Department of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, USA

    Leslie I. Katzel

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© 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature

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Gerin, W. (2022). Cardiovascular Reactivity and Risk for Cardiovascular Disease. In: Waldstein, S.R., Kop, W.J., Suarez, E.C., Lovallo, W.R., Katzel, L.I. (eds) Handbook of Cardiovascular Behavioral Medicine. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-85960-6_41

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