title: Are personality traits associated with white-coat and masked hypertension?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Anxiety and other psychological dispositions are thought to be associated with blood pressure. This study tests whether personality traits have long-term associations with masked and white-coat effects.
  
  
  METHODS
  A community-based sample of 2838 adults from Sardinia (Italy) completed the Revised NEO Personality Inventory, and 7 years later, blood pressure was assessed in the clinic and with ambulatory monitoring. Logistic regressions were used to test whether anxiety, neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness predicted the white-coat and masked hypertension phenomena. Age, sex, and antihypertensive medication use were tested as moderators.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant interactions were found between personality traits and antihypertensive medications in predicting masked and white-coat effects. Only among those taking antihypertensive medication, higher anxiety was associated with a higher risk of pseudo-resistant hypertension due to white-coat effect (odds ratio 1.39, 95% confidence interval 1.01-1.91) and higher conscientiousness was associated with a lower risk of masked uncontrolled hypertension (odds ratio 0.70, 95% confidence interval 0.49-0.99). There were no significant interactions with age or sex.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Among those on antihypertensive medications, anxious individuals were more likely to have pseudo-resistant hypertension due to white-coat effect and less conscientious individuals were at increased risk of masked uncontrolled hypertension. Particularly among anxious and less conscientious individuals, ambulatory monitoring may improve the tailoring of pharmacological treatments.
authors.affiliation: aFlorida State University College of Medicine, Tallahassee, Florida bNational Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA cHospital San Raffaele Pisana IRCCS, Rome dIstituto di Neurogenetica e Neurofarmacologia, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche eUnità Operativa Complessa Cardiologia, Presidio Ospedaliero A. Businco, Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Antonio
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Terracciano
authors.forename: Angelo
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Scuteri
authors.forename: James
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Strait
authors.forename: Angelina R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Sutin
authors.forename: Osorio
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Meirelles
authors.forename: Michele
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Marongiu
authors.forename: Marco
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Orru
authors.forename: Maria Grazia
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Pilia
authors.forename: Luigi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ferrucci
authors.forename: Francesco
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Cucca
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Schlessinger
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Lakatta
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination; D018660:Blood Pressure Monitoring, Ambulatory; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007558:Italy / Q000453:epidemiology; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D059468:Masked Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D010551:Personality; D010555:Personality Inventory; D059466:White Coat Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000523:psychology
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents