AUTHOR=Zhou Jiandong , Lee Sharen , Wong Wing Tak , Leung Keith Sai Kit , Nam Ronald Hang Kin , Leung Prudence Shun Hay , Chau Yau-Lam Alex , Liu Tong , Chang Carlin , Cheung Bernard Man Yung , Tse Gary , Zhang Qingpeng
TITLE=Gender- and Age-Specific Associations of Visit-to-Visit Blood Pressure Variability With Anxiety
JOURNAL=Frontiers in Cardiovascular Medicine
VOLUME=8
YEAR=2021
URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/cardiovascular-medicine/articles/10.3389/fcvm.2021.650852
DOI=10.3389/fcvm.2021.650852
ISSN=2297-055X
ABSTRACT=Background: There is a bidirectional relationship between blood pressure variability (BPV) and anxiety, but few studies have examined the gender- and age-specific effects of visit-to-visit BPV on incident anxiety. We examined the predictive value of BPV for the incidence of anxiety in a family clinic cohort.
Methods: Consecutive patients with a first attendance to family medicine clinics in Hong Kong between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2002, with at least three blood pressure measurements available thereafter were included. The primary endpoint was incident anxiety as identified by ICD-9 coding.
Results: This study included 48,023 (50% males) patients with a median follow-up of 224 [interquartile range (IQR): 217–229] months. Females were more likely to develop incident anxiety compared to males (incidence rate: 7 vs. 2%), as were patients of older age. Significant univariate predictors were female gender, older age, preexisting cardiovascular diseases, respiratory diseases, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, and gastrointestinal diseases, various laboratory examinations, and the number of blood pressure measurements. Higher baseline, maximum, minimum, standard deviation (SD), coefficient of variation (CV), and variability score of diastolic blood pressure significantly predicted incident anxiety, as did all systolic blood pressure measures [baseline, latest, maximum, minimum, mean, median, variance, SD, root mean square (RMS), CV, and variability score].
Conclusions: The relationships between longer-term visit-to-visit BPV and incident anxiety were identified. Female and older patients with higher blood pressure and higher BPV were at the highest risks of incident anxiety.