title: Anxiety, depression, quality of life and stress in patients with resistant hypertension before and after catheter-based renal sympathetic denervation.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study analysed quality of life (QoL), anxiety and depression, headache and stress tolerance in patients with resistant hypertension before and after renal denervation (RDN).
  
  
  RESULTS
  RDN was performed in 119 patients (age 62 ± 11 years, 55% male) with resistant hypertension (office blood pressure [BP] 165/91 ± 22/15 mmHg), treated with 5.7 ± 0.2 antihypertensive drugs. At baseline, at three and at six months after RDN, psychological status, intensity of headache and stress tolerance were documented. Stress was induced by a multitasking situation (Wiener Determination Task [DT]). Depression and anxiety (hospital anxiety and depression scale) and QoL (short form-12 health survey) were investigated. Intensity of headache was measured by visual analogous scale. Systolic and diastolic BP decreased by -20 ± 2.4 and -10 ± 1.4 mmHg, respectively, six months after RDN (p<0.0001). Patients showed more correct reactions (p<0.0001), fewer errors (p<0.05) and reacted faster (p<0.001) in the DT. Patients reported an improvement in QoL (p<0.05). Furthermore, anxiety (p<0.0001) and depression (p<0.0001) scores decreased. Intensity of headache decreased after RDN (p<0.01).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  RDN is associated with reduced anxiety and depression, intensity of headache and with improved QoL and stress tolerance in patients with resistant hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Klinik für Innere Medizin III, Kardiologie, Angiologie, Internistische Intensivmedizin, Universitätsklinikum des Saarlandes, Homburg/Saar, Germany.
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Lenski
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kindermann
authors.forename: Matthias
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lenski
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Ukena
authors.forename: Maxie
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bunz
authors.forename: Felix
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Mahfoud
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Böhm
mesh_terms: D001007:Anxiety; D003863:Depression; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension; D007668:Kidney; D011788:Quality of Life; D013562:Sympathectomy; D016896:Treatment Outcome