title: Association of hypertension with depression and generalized anxiety symptoms in a large population-based sample of older adults.
abstract: The aim of the study was to assess the association of hypertension and symptoms of depression and generalized anxiety in a large cohort of elderly people.
  
  
  
  Data were derived from the 8-year follow-up (2008-2010) of the epidemiological ESTHER-cohort study. A total of 3124 randomly chosen participants aged 57-84 were visited at their homes by trained study doctors. General practitioner based diagnosis, self-reported status of hypertension, medication, and blood pressure measurement were considered to define the existence of hypertension. Depression and general anxiety severity were assessed using validated questionnaires. Logistic regression analyses were performed to determine cross-sectional associations between hypertension and clinically significant symptoms of depression (CSD) and generalized anxiety. Well known lifestyle risk factors for hypertension such as obesity were included in multivariate cross-sectional analyses.
  
  
  
  Hypertension was prevalent in 1659 participants [53.1%; 95% confidence interval (CI) = (51.3; 54.9)]. CSD was detected in 163 participants [5.2%; 95%-CI = (4.4; 6.0)]. Symptoms of generalized anxiety were found in 434 participants [13.9%; 95%-CI = (12.7; 15.1)]. Patients with CSD showed significantly higher odds of being hypertensive [odds ratio (OR) = 1.76; 95%-CI = (1.14; 2.74)]. Participants with symptoms of generalized anxiety were found to have no higher odds for a hypertension diagnosis [OR = 1.1; 95%-CI = (0.85; 1.44)]. Overweight [OR = 1.86; 95%-CI = (1.53; 2.25)] as well as obesity [OR = 3.58; 95%-CI = (2.84; 4.52)] was significantly associated with hypertension.
  
  
  
  CSD appear to be related to hypertension in elderly adults. No association was found between symptoms of generalized anxiety and hypertension.
authors.affiliation: aDepartment of General Internal Medicine and Psychosomatics, Medical University Hospital bDepartment of Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University Hospital, Heidelberg cDepartment of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, University Medical Center, Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg dDivision of Clinical Epidemiology and Aging Research, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: Imad
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Maatouk
authors.forename: Wolfgang
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Herzog
authors.forename: Friederike
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Böhlen
authors.forename: Renate
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Quinzler
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Löwe
authors.forename: Kai-Uwe
authors.initials: KU
authors.lastname: Saum
authors.forename: Hermann
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Brenner
authors.forename: Beate
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Wild
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology; D008875:Middle Aged