[Coping with stress and blood viscosity in stroke prevention patients]

Hematocrit, fibrinogen and blood viscosity influence blood fluidity and are well known stroke risk factors. Studies have shown relationships between these factors and psychological stress.

The aim of this study was to investigate how stroke risk patients with increased hematocrit, increased fibrinogen, or increased plasma viscosity differ from patients free of these risk factors in their ways of stress coping.

6503 persons participated in the following stroke risk investigations: biographical and risk factor orientated anamnesis, neurological status investigation, laboratory investigation, sonographic investigation and psychological investigation. After assessment of several risk factors, differences in stress coping between risk factor and non-risk factor groups were investigated by means of the t-test and the Wilcoxon-test.

Men with pathological hematocrit showed significantly higher scores in the coping strategy resignation and a tendency to less positive self instruction and response control attempts. Women with higher values of hematocrit demonstrated higher values in resignation and drug intake. Men with higher fibrinogen showed significantly higher scores in distraction, vicarious satisfaction, minimising by comparison and tendency to flee as well as a tendency towards drug intake. Women with increased fibrinogen showed no differences. Men with normal plasma viscosity had significantly higher values in tendency to flee and tendencially in desire for social support and lower values in minimising by comparison. Women with increased plasma viscosity demonstrated higher scores in resignation and aggression.

The presence of elevated values in parameters of blood viscosity coincides with increased passive and defensive coping mechanisms, whereas non-risk factor persons show raised values in active coping styles.