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 'clinic-home blood pressure difference' (CHBPD) and psychological distress in a sample not selected without regard to blood pressure and hypertension status.

DESIGN

A cross-sectional study.

SETTING

An academic family medicine department in Toronto, Canada.

PARTICIPANTS

Consecutive attenders (n = 214) of the primary care facility. Subjects aged less than 16 years and those being administered psychotropic or blood pressure-lowering agents were excluded.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: The CHBPD was calculated 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 significant association between the CHBPD and psychological distress could be shown for systolic and diastolic blood pressures. The same applied to GHQ subdomains and the CHBPD modelled on several independent variables by multiple linear regression analyses.

CONCLUSION

The results from this study, using a large sample drawn from a community, support the view that the CHBPD is not related to anxiety, depression and other forms of psychological distress, but rather is a reaction specific to the clinic setting itself.