Effects of beliefs about the consequences of the hypertension on attention capacities

R AGUILERA; S AZZARA; M JEIFETZ; E GAZZILLO; N SANCHEZ; G OTTAVIANO; H GÓMEZ LLAMBÍ; D SÁNCHEZ GELÓS; J MILEI

Oslo, Norway

Congreso; European Meeting on Hypertension; 2010

European Society of Hypertension

Background: The close relation between cardiovascular disorders and cognitive impairment, coupled with the incidence that the hypertensive patients’ beliefs have about their disease, led us to pose a possible association between such beliefs and tasks that require a high attention commitment Objective: The goal of the study is to analyze the relation between the beliefs regarding the hypertension (HTA) and the attention capacities, the latter as part of the assessment of cognitive impairment.Design: Cross-sectional correlational study.Methods: We evaluated 18 hypertensive patients (10 women and 8 men) with an average age of 71 years ( 10). The cognitive commitment was assessed with the Trial Making Test (TMT) Sections A and B, while the  evaluation of beliefs about the HTA was carried out with the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R). Results: A significant correlation was found between the IPQ-R variable ‘‘subjective perception of the consequences of the HTA’’ and the performance on the TMT Section A (r¼0.57; p<.01). Those who perceived greater negative consequences for suffering HTA (high values in the variable consequences of the HTA) showed a better performance in the TMT Section A. In a stepwise linear regression analysis, controlling variable age, from all the factors that the IPQ-R evaluates, the variable consequences of the HTA was the only predictor of the test performance (F¼6.8; p<,02) explaining 33% of the variability in this task (see Figure 1). No significant association was found between the variable consequences of the HTA and the TMT Section B.Conclusion: This study shows the relationship between the subjective perception of the consequences of the HTA and attention capacities. Perceptions more adjusted to reality could be promoting a better adherence to treatment with the subsequent normalization of blood pressure. In addition, this study provides preliminary information regarding to psychological factors could influence the development of the HTA, constituting a new issue to be added to the already known risk factors. The close relation between cardiovascular disorders and cognitive impairment, coupled with the incidence that the hypertensive patients’ beliefs have about their disease, led us to pose a possible association between such beliefs and tasks that require a high attention commitment Objective: The goal of the study is to analyze the relation between the beliefs regarding the hypertension (HTA) and the attention capacities, the latter as part of the assessment of cognitive impairment.Design: Cross-sectional correlational study.Methods: We evaluated 18 hypertensive patients (10 women and 8 men) with an average age of 71 years ( 10). The cognitive commitment was assessed with the Trial Making Test (TMT) Sections A and B, while the  evaluation of beliefs about the HTA was carried out with the Revised Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ-R). Results: A significant correlation was found between the IPQ-R variable ‘‘subjective perception of the consequences of the HTA’’ and the performance on the TMT Section A (r¼0.57; p<.01). Those who perceived greater negative consequences for suffering HTA (high values in the variable consequences of the HTA) showed a better performance in the TMT Section A. In a stepwise linear regression analysis, controlling variable age, from all the factors that the IPQ-R evaluates, the variable consequences of the HTA was the only predictor of the test performance (F¼6.8; p<,02) explaining 33% of the variability in this task (see Figure 1). No significant association was found between the variable consequences of the HTA and the TMT Section B.Conclusion: This study shows the relationship between the subjective perception of the consequences of the HTA and attention capacities. Perceptions more adjusted to reality could be promoting a better adherence to treatment with the subsequent normalization of blood pressure. In addition, this study provides preliminary information regarding to psychological factors could influence the development of the HTA, constituting a new issue to be added to the already known risk factors.