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Effect of anxiety and depression on blood pressure: 11-year longitudinal population study

Department of Psychiatry, Namsos Hospital, Namsos, and Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Trondheim

Arnstein Mykletun, MA, PhD

Research Centre for Health Promotion, Faculty of Psychology, University of Bergen, and Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Division of Mental Health, Oslo

Jostein Holmen, MD, PhD

HUNT Research Centre, Department of Public Health and General Practice, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, Verdal

Alv A. Dahl, MD, PhD

Department of Clinical Cancer Research, the Norwegian Radium Hospital, Rikshospitalet University Hospital, Oslo, and Faculty Division, The Norwegian Radiumhospital, University of Oslo, Norway

Correspondence: Dr Bjørn Hildrum, Department of Psychiatry, Namsos Hospital, N-7800 Namsos, Norway. Email: bjorn.hildrum{at}hnt.no

Declaration of interest

B.H. has received financial support from H. Lundbeck. Funding detailed in Acknowledgements.

Background

The long-term effect of anxiety and depression on blood pressure is unclear.

Aims

To examine the prospective association of anxiety and depression with change in blood pressure in a general population.

Method

Data on 36 530 men and women aged 20–78 years participating in the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT) in Norway in 1984–86 were re-examined 11 years later.

Results

A high symptom level of anxiety and depression at baseline predicted low systolic blood pressure (510th percentile) at follow-up (OR=1.30, 95% CI 1.08–1.57) when those with low systolic blood pressure at baseline were excluded. Change in symptom level of anxiety and depression between baseline and follow-up was inversely associated with change in systolic blood pressure. For diastolic blood pressure, the findings were weaker or non-significant.

Conclusions

Symptoms of anxiety and depression predicted lower blood pressure 11 years later.

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