IS THE CLINIC-HOME BLOOD-PRESSURE DIFFERENCE ASSOCIATED WITH PSYCHOLOGICAL DISTRESS - A PRIMARY CARE-BASED STUDY

Objective To determine whether there is an association between the 'cl inic-home blood pressure difference' (CHBPD) and psychological distres s in a sample not selected without regard to blood pressure and hypert ension status, Design A cross-sectional study, Setting An academic fam ily medicine department in Toronto, Canada, Participants Consecutive a ttenders (n = 214) of the primary care facility, Subjects aged less th an 16 years and those being administered psychotropic or blood pressur e-lowering agents were excluded, Main outcome measures The CHBPD was c alculated from clinic blood pressure readings and self-measurements by subjects at home; psychological distress was measured by the 30-item version of the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), Results No signfica nt association between the CHBPD and psychological distress could be s hown for systolic and diastolic blood pressures, The same applied to G HQ subdomains and the CHBPD modelled on several independent variables by multiple linear regression analyses. Conclusion The results from th is study, using a large sample drawn from a community, support the vie w that the CHBPD is not related to anxiety, depression and other forms of psychological distress, but rather is a reaction specific to the c linic setting itself.