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Anxiety in the “Age of Hypertension”

  • Secondary Hypertension: Nervous System Mechanisms (J Bisognano, Section Editor)
  • Published:
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Abstract

In the USA, hypertension affects one in three adults, and anxiety disorders are the most commonly diagnosed mental health disorders. Both hypertension and anxiety have been studied extensively. Yet, a full understanding of anxiety’s relationship to hypertension has been elusive. In this review, we discuss the spectrum of anxiety disorders. In addition, we consider the evidence for acute and long-term effects of anxiety on blood pressure. We review the effect on blood pressure of several “real-world” stressors, such as natural disasters. In addition, we review the effect of anxiety treatments on blood pressure. We explain the American Heart Association’s recent recommendations regarding meditation and other relaxation methods in the management of hypertension. We conclude that novel research methods are needed in order to better elucidate many aspects of how anxiety relates to hypertension.

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Conflict of Interest

James Byrd and Robert Brook declare that they have no conflict of interest.

Human and Animal Rights and Informed Consent

This article does not contain any studies with human or animal subjects performed by any of the authors.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Division of Cardiovascular Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Michigan, 20-209 W, 2800 Plymouth Road, Ann Arbor, MI, 48109-2800, USA

    James Brian Byrd & Robert D. Brook

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  1. James Brian Byrd
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  2. Robert D. Brook
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Correspondence to James Brian Byrd.

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This article is part of the Topical Collection on Secondary Hypertension: Nervous System Mechanisms

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Byrd, J.B., Brook, R.D. Anxiety in the “Age of Hypertension”. Curr Hypertens Rep 16, 486 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11906-014-0486-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11906-014-0486-0

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