[A comparison of blood pressure load in groups of children with high and low levels of neuroticism].
The significance of mental stress in the etiology and pathogenesis of essential hypertension is still a matter of disputes and controversies. The authors wondered if normotensive children prone to stress reactions show significant abnormalities in their ABPM patterns. The aim of this study was comparison of blood pressure loads in children of high and low neuroticism levels. 121 healthy children underwent the psychometric test evaluating the level of neuroticism. From this group 43 children with the lowest and 33 children with the highest levels of neuroticism were selected. The groups were comparable in respect of age, gender, overweight, obesity and low birth weight. 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring was performed. Average systolic and diastolic blood pressure loads were calculated. In neurotic boys and girls considered together and girls analysed separately both systolic and diastolic blood pressure loads were significantly higher than in their low-neurotic counterparts. In boys only systolic blood pressure load difference between high and low-neurotic group was statistically significant. Diastolic blood pressure load only tended to be higher in neurotic boys, without statistical significance. In our study neurotic children demonstrated in general significantly higher blood pressure loads than low-neurotic children. The prognostic value of this difference has not yet been determined. Perhaps further investigation would prove risk of developing hypertension in neurotic children with levels of blood pressure loads as observed in our study. If so, introducing of hypertension preventive measures could be profitable in neurotic children.
Pijanowska
M
M
Klinika Pediatrii i Nefrologii, Dzieciecy Szpital Kliniczny w Lublinie.
Zajaczkowska
M
M
Pijanowski
Z
Z
D000293:Adolescent; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; D002648:Child; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D009497:Neurotic Disorders / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009765:Obesity / Q000150:complications; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology