Associations of Anxiety Symptoms With 6-Year Blood Pressure Changes and Incident Hypertension: Results From the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos.

Background: Despite the high burden of anxiety and hypertension in Hispanic/Latino adults, little is known about their association in this population.

Purpose: To examine the associations of anxiety symptoms with 6-year changes in blood pressure (BP) and incident hypertension in Hispanic/Latino adults.

Methods: We examined data from a probability sample of 10,881 Hispanic/Latino persons aged 18-74 who attended visits 1 (V1; 2008-2011) and 2 (V2; 2014-2017) of the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL), a prospective cohort study. Anxiety symptoms were assessed at V1 using the 10-item Spielberger Trait Anxiety Scale (M = 17.1; Range = 10-40) and dichotomized using a cut-point of 20, the highest quartile in this cohort. BP was measured at both visits using a standardized protocol.

Results: Adults with elevated anxiety symptoms had a 1.02 mm Hg greater increase in systolic (p = .02) and a 0.75 mm Hg greater increase in diastolic BP (p = .02) over 6.1 years than those with lower symptoms, after adjusting for sociodemographic and clinical covariates. These associations differed by sex. Elevated anxiety was associated with a greater increase in systolic and diastolic BP in men only. Among persons without hypertension at V1 (N = 7,412), those with elevated anxiety symptoms at V1 had a 22% higher incidence of hypertension (p = .02) 6.1 years later.

Conclusions: Our findings underscore the importance of screening for and treating elevated anxiety symptoms to help prevent hypertension. Further research on the role of sex and underlying mechanisms is warranted.