[Selection of psychoemotional load test for the diagnosis of hypertension]

The specificity of cardiovascular response to mental exercise of certain types was assessed in 65 normal males and 66 hypertensive patients. Mental arithmetic exercise provoked an increase in systolic rather than diastolic blood pressure. The clock and compass test evaluating spacial imagination, on the contrary, resulted in mostly diastolic hypertension. In hypertensive patients, this specific response is more marked and can be used as a diagnostic test. The comparison of arterial blood pressure and catecholamines excretion suggests that mental arithmetic exercise is associated with beta-adrenoreceptor activation, while the other exercise activates alpha-receptors. The magnitude of arterial blood pressure change is believed to be related to the emotional component, while the systolic/diastolic ratio would be determined by specific nature of mental exercise.