Psychological features of patients with hypertension attending hospital follow-up clinics

A slightly modified Middlesex Hospital Questionnaire was given to 946 patients with hypertension who were receiving treatment at two hospital clinics. The response rate was 90%. Compared with previously published results for the general population the hypertensive patients scored significantly higher for free-floating anxiety, phobic anxiety and depression. Male hypertensive patients, but not female patients, also scored higher for obsession and hysteria. The high scores for hypertensive patients could not be closely correlated with any particular drug therapy with the possible exception of phobic anxiety and propranolol in women but not in men. There was a weak but statistically significant correlation between systolic blood pressure and both somatic complaint rate and phobic anxiety.