Blood pressure morning surge and hostility

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Psychosomatic Medicine
• Hypertension Research

Background:

• The morning surge in blood pressure (BP) is a critical period associated with increased cardiovascular events.
• Understanding factors influencing the morning BP surge is vital for cardiovascular risk management.
• Hostility, a personality trait, has been implicated in cardiovascular disease, but its specific relationship with morning BP patterns is less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between hostility levels and the pattern of systolic blood pressure (SBP) changes during sleep and the early morning hours.
• To determine if hostility influences the slope of the morning BP surge in patients with hypertension.

Main Methods:

• Ambulatory BP monitoring was used in 32 patients with Stage 1 hypertension over a 6-hour period centered around awakening (3 hours before and 3 hours after).
• Systolic blood pressure (SBP) levels during sleep and the morning hours were analyzed.
• Hostility was assessed using the Buss-Durkee Hostility Inventory.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in overall sleep SBP were observed between low and high hostility groups (120 ± 11.4 vs. 131.3 ± 14.9 mm Hg, P = .02).
• Low hostility subjects exhibited a steep SBP rise post-awakening, whereas high hostility subjects showed a blunted surge, with SBP nearing post-sleep levels before waking (P = .03).

Conclusions:

• Individual differences in hostility are associated with distinct patterns of BP during sleep and the early morning hours.
• These findings highlight the potential role of hostility in modulating the morning BP surge, a period of heightened cardiovascular risk.
• Further research is warranted to explore the mechanisms linking personality traits like hostility to the morning BP surge and cardiovascular outcomes.