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Introduction: Hypertension is the foremost contributor to cardiovascular disease(s) and premature death worldwide. Mental health disorders have a significant impact on global public health, affecting millions of individuals with disorders including anxiety, depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia. Importantly, all of these conditions are distinctly associated with hypertension. Accordingly, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension among individuals diagnosed with mental health disorders in Jordan and its associated risk factors., Methods: Data from individuals 18-80 years of age, who attended the psychiatry clinic at Jordan University Hospital (Amman, Jordan), were included. The study included participants without a previous diagnosis of hypertension, diabetes, or cardiovascular disease. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure, as well as heart rate, were assessed; in addition, demographic information from each participant was collected. Assessments were performed at the clinic facilities during 2 distinct appointments scheduled at a one-week interval., Results: In total, data from 484 patients (57.2 % female, 42.8 % male) were analyzed. The prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension among those diagnosed with psychiatric disorders was significantly high (30.8 %), the majority of whom were male. Mean age, body mass index, and a positive family history of cardiovascular disease(s) were significantly higher in patients with undiagnosed hypertension. Moreover, patients undergoing treatment with serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs) exhibited a significantly higher prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension than their counterparts., Conclusion: Results of the present study revealed a significant prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension among patients with psychiatric disorders (30.8 %). Factors significantly associated with a higher prevalence of undiagnosed hypertension included male sex, older age, higher BMI, family history of cardiovascular disease(s), and use of SNRIs., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2024 The Authors.)

Introduction: Several studies suggested a higher prevalence of hypertension and depression among medical students. Patients with depression have a higher prevalence of hypertension and vice versa. In this study, we assessed the frequency of hypertension and depression in a sample of medical students and the impact of depression on hypertension., Methods: We recruited medical students from the largest medical school in Jordan. For each participant, we measured blood pressure and heart rate under standardized measurement conditions. Participants were also surveyed using the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). We performed univariate analysis followed by linear regression analysis of factors affecting mean arterial pressure., Results: 354 medical students were included. The mean age was 21 years. 196 (55.4%) were females and 158 (44.6%) were males. 139 (70.9%) of females had normal blood pressure (BP), 7 (3.6%) had elevated BP, 44 (22.4%) had stage 1 hypertension (HTN), and 6 (3.1%) had stage 2 HTN. Within males: 60 (38.0%) had normal BP, 27 (17.1%) had elevated BP, 55 (34.8%) had stage 1 HTN, and 16 (10.1%) had stage 2 HTN. 114 participants (32.2%) had no or minimal depression, 197 (55.6%) had mild-moderate depression and 43 (12.1%) had moderately severe-severe depression. There was an association between higher depression scores and higher diastolic blood pressure., Conclusion: The frequency of hypertension and depression was notably high in our sample. There was an association between higher depression scores and higher diastolic blood pressure. We strongly believe that this association should encourage us again to screen our hypertensive patients in general for depression and vice versa. We also recommend adopting screening programs for depression and hypertension in general., Competing Interests: The authors declare no competing interests., (© 2022 The Author(s).)