Abstract:

Objective To investigate prevalence and risk factors of anxiety and depression in hypertensive patients.Methods The investigation was based on interview with consecutive hypertensive patients selected at random in cardiovascular outpatient clinics from nine hospitals in Beijing (patients with language or movement barriers due to cerebrovascular disease were excluded). The patients were required to fill in Self-Rating Anxiety Scale and Self-Rating Depression Scale. Meanwhile other basic information was also collected.Results Atotal of 2274 hypertensive patients were enrolled, with 1025 males(45.1%) and 1249 females(54.9%). The prevalence of anxiety was 38.5% and that of depression was 5.7%. The independent risk factors in hypertensive patients for anxiety were: female, juvenility, single, better educational background, blue-collar, lower income, longer course of diseases, higher grade of hypertension and with coronary artery disease. Risk factors in hypertensive patients with depression were: advanced age, single, female, longer course of diseases, lower income, lower education degree, complicated with coronary artery disease, and with diabetes mellitus.Conclusion The prevalence of anxiety in hypertensive patients is significantly higher than that of depression. Female,single, longer course of diseases, lower income, higher grade of hypertension and coronary artery disease are common indepentent risk factors in anxiety and depression. In addition, juvenility, blue-collar patients, better educational background are prone to anxiety; elderly patients with poor educational background are prone to depression.

Key words: hypertension, depression, anxiety, Self-Rating Depression Scale, Self-Rating Anxiety Scale