- Researchers investigated the effects of high blood pressure on depressive symptoms and well-being.
- They found that high blood pressure is linked to reduced depressive symptoms and higher well-being but that a hypertension diagnosis is linked to the inverse.
- Further research is needed to confirm the findings.
Hypertension and depression frequently occur together, and both are
Studies have also
However, other studies show that high blood pressure is linked to better mood, higher well-being, and lower distress.
Better understanding of the link between hypertension and depressive symptoms could improve the management of both conditions.
Recently, researchers investigated the link between hypertension and depressive symptoms using medical data from a cohort of over 500,000.
They found that higher systolic blood pressure is linked to fewer depressive symptoms, but that a hypertension diagnosis and an impending diagnosis are linked to poorer mental health.
“This link between cardiovascular functioning and mental health may lead to interventions for treatments for behavioral conditions through adjustments to the cardiovascular system and vice versa,” noted Dr. Michael J. McGrath, board-certified psychiatrist, medical director of The Ohana Luxury Alcohol Rehab, who was not involved in the study, speaking to Medical News Today.
“[These findings] will open up a whole new avenue as to how we should approach HTN and mental health prevention and treatment.”
— Dr. Sarika Shanmukayya, a primary care physician with Memorial Hermann in Houston, Texas, who was not involved in the study, speaking to MNT.
The study was published in
For the study, the researchers included healthcare data from 502,494 individuals in the UK Biobank…
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