PSYCHOLOGICAL CHARACTERISTICS OF SMOKERS AND NONSMOKERS WITH ESSENTIAL-HYPERTENSION

The study of 148 patients with essential hypertension revealed interre lationship between smoking statue and patient's psychological traits a nd attitude to the disease, Characteristic traits of smokers were low level of anxiety and tendency to deny the presence of the disease. Nev er smokers were characterized by effective elimination of anxiety, in particular by ''escape from the disease to work'', Those who stopped s moking had obvious anxiety and depressive disorders and tended to comp letely ''retire into disease''. These results can be used in elaborati on of strategy of treatment and prevention.