Nature Communications · 7 authors, 11 centres
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This large UK Biobank cohort study found that higher systolic blood pressure is associated with fewer depressive symptoms and greater well-being, but that individuals who later develop hypertension already show poorer mental health years before diagnosis.
This observational cohort study analyzed data from the UK Biobank to examine the complex, seemingly contradictory relationships between mental health, blood pressure, and hypertension. Cross-sectional and longitudinal analyses (including up to a 10-year follow-up) revealed that higher systolic blood pressure (SBP) is associated with fewer depressive symptoms and greater well-being. However, the presence of a hypertension (HTN) diagnosis is associated with poorer mental health. A key finding is that among normotensive individuals at baseline, those who later developed HTN already had significantly poorer mental health (more depressive symptoms, lower well-being) before their diagnosis, even after adjusting for baseline SBP. Furthermore, the baseline association between SBP and better mental health was stronger in individuals who later developed HTN. Functional MRI data showed a negative relationship between SBP and brain response to aversive emotional stimuli, moderated by later HTN status. The study concludes that the positive association of higher blood pressure with better mental health may, via mechanisms like baroreceptor signaling, contribute to the reinforcement learning that leads to the development of hypertension.
