Symptomatic subsyndromal depression in hospitalized hypertensive patients

Clinicians generally agree on the association between depression and hypertension. Less clear is if the nature of the link is direct or indirect and if this should be considered confined only to syndromal forms or if it concerns also subsyndromal affective presentations. This study investigated the nature of the association between hypertension and subsyndromal depression in hospitalized hypertensive patients.

196 hypertensive and 96 non hypertensive inpatients underwent a SCID interview, to exclude patients positive for any Axis I or Axis II diagnosis. Symptomatic Subsyndromal Depression (SSD) was identified according to criteria proposed by Judd. Psychopathological assessment was performed with Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI) and Hopkins Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90). Clinical assessments included blood pressure measurement, evaluation of general health conditions and screening cardiovascular risk factors (smoke, alcohol, body weight, sedentary life style).

Hypertensives met more frequently criteria for SSD. They also scored higher on ASI and SCL-90. However, those with more severe physical conditions, if compared with more healthy patients, did not show increased psychopathological severity. Similarly, psychopathological symptom severity did not differ among hypertensives positive for other cardiovascular risk factors, commonly more frequent among depressed subjects.

Further analyses are needed to explore the potential advantage obtained on blood pressure control by treating SSD.

Hospitalized hypertensives, more frequently satisfied criteria for Symptomatic Subsyndromal Depression. These milder affective forms are probably directly linked to the presence of hypertension, rather than being indirectly associated to physical impairment or to higher prevalence of other cardiovascular risk factors.