Psychosomatic Medicine 26:610-617 (1964)
© 1964 American Psychosomatic Society

Some Psychophysiologic Relations in Hypertensive Women

Effect of Hydrochlorothiazide on the Relation of Affect to Blood Pressure

¹ Departments of Psychiatry and Medicine, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, and the May Institute for Medical Research of the Jewish Hospital, Cincinnati, Ohio

In an experimental study of the pathologic psychophysiology of essential hypertension, measurements of anxiety and hostility levels of 12 hypertensive women were observed over two 3-week periods; during these time periods the women received either hydrochlorothiazide (25-50 mg.) or a placebo.

Significant positive correlations occurred between hostility inward levels and average systolic and diastolic blood pressures. Significant negative correlations occurred between hostility outward levels and blood pressure. These and other significant psychophysiologic correlations disappeared completely when the subjects were taking hydrochlorothiazide. Furthermore, no significant changes in anxiety or hostility levels occurred while the women were taking hydrochlorothiazide, even though there were significant decreases in blood pressure during this time.