Risk for hypertension and diminished pain sensitivity in women: autonomic and daily correlates

Research suggests an association between risk for hypertension and decrease d pain sensitivity. However, few studies have utilized non-behavioral indic es of pain to corroborate subjective reports or sought to generalize these findings to women. Furthermore, it has not been established whether results obtained using well-controlled laboratory pain stimuli extend to naturalis tic pain. In Study 1, 80 young adult women with (N = 40) and without (N = 4 0) a parental history of hypertension and with either normatively low or hi gh resting systolic blood pressure (SBP) were exposed to two experimental p ain stimuli, finger pressure and the cold presser test. In addition to beha vioral pain measures, respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) reactions to pain were also assessed. Women with a parental history of hypertension and/or no rmatively high resting SBP experienced significantly less pain, as assessed by both behavioral and RSA measures. In Study 2, 37 of the participants fr om Study 1 monitored their behaviors, affect, and physical symptoms, three times a day for 32 days. Laboratory pain sensitivity was significantly corr elated with daily reports of pain but not gastrointestinal symptoms. The pr esent results confirm an association between risk for hypertension and hypo algesia in women and suggest generalizability of this relationship to every day life. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.