[Blood pressure reactivity to emotional stress in uncomplicated forms of hypertension (author's transl)].

Blood pressure behavior under basal conditions and emotional stress was examined in 48 patients with elevated casual blood pressure values who had no hypertensive cardiovascular complications and in 48 normotensives of the same age. In order to study possible interactions with age and sex each group was divided in two age and two sex subgroups respectively. Under basal conditions the blood pressure values of the hypertensive group were within the normal range but markedly higher than the values of the normotensive group. During stress the difference between both groups increased because the hypertensive group exhibited a stronger reactivity of blood pressure. There was an interaction between sex and hypertension in that in contrast to the hypertensive group normotensive women had lower blood pressure values at rest and under emotional stress than men. There was an influence of age consisting in a stronger blood pressure reactivity of the older subjects; this effect could be found in the hypertensive as well as in the normotensive group. Patients with uncomplicated forms of hypertension exhibit a blood pressure hyperreactivity on emotional stress independently of age and sex. According to previous investigations normotensive subjects with a family history of hypertension show stronger blood pressure reactivity, too. Therefore this phenomenon must be regarded as important in the pathogenesis of essential hypertension.