Mental stress-induced hemoconcentration: Sex differences and mechanisms

Given the possible role of hemoconcentration in myocardial infarction and apparent sex differences in susceptibility, three studies examined sex differences in mental stress‐induced hemoconcentration, and explored possible underlying mechanisms. Blood pressure, heart rate, and hematocrit were monito...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Psychophysiology 2004-07, Vol.41 (4), p.541-551
Main Authors: Veldhuijzen Van Zanten, Jet J. C. S., Ring, Christopher, Burns, Victoria E., Edwards, Kate M., Drayson, Mark, Carroll, Douglas
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Affectivity. Emotion
Aged
Biological and medical sciences
Blood pressure
Cognition. Intelligence
Female
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Hemoconcentration
Hemodynamics - physiology
Humans
Male
Mental Processes - physiology
Mental stress
Middle Aged
Personality. Affectivity
Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry
Psychology. Psychophysiology
Psychomotor Performance - physiology
Reasoning. Problem solving
Regional Blood Flow - physiology
Serine Endopeptidases - metabolism
Sex Characteristics
Sex differences
Stress, Psychological - blood
Tryptases
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Summary:Given the possible role of hemoconcentration in myocardial infarction and apparent sex differences in susceptibility, three studies examined sex differences in mental stress‐induced hemoconcentration, and explored possible underlying mechanisms. Blood pressure, heart rate, and hematocrit were monitored at rest and in response to a mental stress task that was contrived to be increasingly provocative across the three studies. This was confirmed by self‐report, performance, and cardiovascular reactivity data. The most convincing evidence for hemoconcentration effects and sex differences in hemoconcentration emerged from exposure to the more provocative of the stress tasks, with men also showing greater hemoconcentration than women. Blood pressure reactivity was a strong and consistent predictor of stress‐induced hemoconcentration. These findings may help to explain sex differences in susceptibility to myocardial infarction.
ISSN:0048-5772
1469-8986
1540-5958
DOI:10.1111/j.1469-8986.2004.00190.x