[Anxious hostile behavior as a precursor of pregnancy-induced hypertension]

In 127 healthy pregnant women of the 27th and 28th gestational week, the influence of somatic and affective disorders was investigated with regard to pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) after the 30th gestational week prospectively. The women answered a five step self-rating scale including 28 somatic and affective symptoms. The incidence of PIH achieved 12.7%. The PIH-group rated disorders significantly higher than the group without PIH (p less than 0.001). The self rated anxious hostile behaviour disorders were significantly stronger in the PIH-group than in the controls. So, in our sample anxious hostile behaviour appeared to be precursor of PIH. Somatic and affective symptoms of anxiety and hostility are provocated by adrenaline and noradrenaline typically. Catecholamines stimulate synthesis of prostaglandins, favouring PGF and TX. The resulting imbalance of prostaglandins appears to cause PIH pathognomonically. There is discussed that persisting anxious hostile behaviour is able to induce PIH by catecholamine-prostaglandin-mechanism.