ELEVATION OF BLOOD-PRESSURE AND HEMOCONCENTRATION INDUCED BY MENTAL STRESS

Talking and mental arithmetic are usual mental activities that everyon e experiences in the daily life. Those mental activities can not only elevate blood pressure and heart rate, but they also induce hemoconcen tration expressed as an increase of hematocrit and a disproportionate increase of leukocyte count. The cardiovascular responses are greater in hypertensives than in normotensives and the increase of hematocrit is proportional to the elevation of blood pressure. These findings sug gest that hypertensive patients are at high risk for cardiovascular co mplications as a result of hemoconcentration when they are exposed to stronger and longer mental stress.