Psychological Distress and the Development of Hypertension Over 5 Years in Black South Africans

Alarming increases in the incidence of hypertension in many low‐ and middle‐income countries are related to alcohol overuse. It is unclear whether alcohol overuse is a symptom of psychological distress. The authors assessed psychological distress in Africans and its relationship with a 5‐year change...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:The journal of clinical hypertension (Greenwich, Conn.) Conn.), 2015-02, Vol.17 (2), p.126-133
Main Authors: Schutte, Aletta E., Ware, Lisa J., Huisman, Hugo W., Fourie, Carla M.T., Greeff, Minrie, Khumalo, Tumi, Wissing, Marie P.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adult
Aged
Alcohol Drinking - adverse effects
Alcohol Drinking - ethnology
Black People - ethnology
Black People - psychology
Blood Pressure - physiology
Female
gamma-Glutamyltransferase - blood
Humans
Hypertension - epidemiology
Hypertension - ethnology
Hypertension - etiology
Incidence
Longitudinal Studies
Male
Middle Aged
Original Paper
Original Papers
Regression Analysis
Risk Factors
Self Report
South Africa - epidemiology
Stress, Psychological - complications
Stress, Psychological - epidemiology
Stress, Psychological - ethnology
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Summary:Alarming increases in the incidence of hypertension in many low‐ and middle‐income countries are related to alcohol overuse. It is unclear whether alcohol overuse is a symptom of psychological distress. The authors assessed psychological distress in Africans and its relationship with a 5‐year change in blood pressure (BP), independent of alcohol intake. The authors followed 107 Africans with optimal BP (≤120/80 mm Hg) (aged 35–75 years) over 5 years. Alcohol intake (self‐report and serum γ‐glutamyl transferase) and nonspecific psychological distress (Kessler Screening Scale for Psychological Distress [K6]) were assessed. The K6 predicted hypertension development (P=.019), and its individual component “nervous” increased a participant's risk two‐fold to become hypertensive (hazard ratio, 2.00 [1.23–3.26]). By entering K6 and γ‐glutamyl transferase into multivariable‐adjusted regression models for change in systolic BP, both were independently associated with change in systolic BP. Psychological distress and scoring high on being nervous predicted the development of hypertension over 5 years, independent of alcohol intake.
ISSN:1524-6175
1751-7176
1751-7176
DOI:10.1111/jch.12455