Features of the clinical picture in patients of middle age with essential hypertension

Aim. To evaluate the presence and the severity of the complaints (headache, dizziness, memory loss, concentration of attention, sleep disturbances, decreased mood, increased anxiety), the state of cognitive functions, emotional status and quality of night sleep in treatment-naïve middle-aged patients with mild to moderate EAH compared to healthy volunteers of the same age. Materials and methods. 103 treatment-naïve patients with EAH aged 40-59 years at the enrollment, who met the inclusion/exclusion criteria and provided written informed consent (46 men, mean age 53.6±0.8 years) and 50 healthy volunteers (17 men, mean age 51.5±1.0 years) with normal blood pressure (BP) level - control group - were enrolled to the study. Mean EAH duration was 2.9±5.7 years. Cognitive assessment included Montreal cognitive assessment, 10-words learning task, verbal fluency test, TMT, Stroop color and word test. Anxiety and depression were evaluated via Hamilton rating scales (HARS and HDRS). 24-hours ambulatory BP monitoring (ABPM) was performed according to European guidelines. Results. 70% of patients with EAH complained of memory disturbance, 68% - lack of attention, 22% - sleep disturbances, 12% - dizziness, 9% - headache. It took statistically significant more time for patients with EAH to perform on TMT B (p