EFFECT OF THE HANSHIN-AWAJI EARTHQUAKE ON HOME BLOOD-PRESSURE IN PATIENTS WITH ESSENTIAL-HYPERTENSION

At 5:46 AM on January 17, 1995, the Hanshin-Awaji district of Japan wa s struck by a major earthquake. We investigated changes in home blood pressure (BP) of 36 hypertensive patients before and after the earthqu ake. In the 16 patients who lived within 50 km from the epicenter, the home BP on the day of the earthquake was significantly higher than th at just before the earthquake (+11/+6 mm Hg; P < .01 for systolic BP a nd P < .05 for diastolic BP). It remained higher throughout the first week after the earthquake, then gradually returned to the baseline lev el within 4 weeks. The home BP did not change significantly in the 20 patients who lived farther than 50 km from the epicenter. The earthqua ke-induced stress increased the BP in these hypertensive patients; how ever, its presser effect was not persistent. (C) 1997 American Journal of Hypertension, Ltd.