This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Kamarck, T. W. Articles by Salonen, J. T. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Kamarck, T. W. Articles by Salonen, J. T. Related Collections Exercise testing Hypertrophy Echocardiography Epidemiology

(Circulation. 2000;102:1394.)
© 2000 American Heart Association, Inc.

Clinical Investigation and Reports

Anticipatory Blood Pressure Responses to Exercise Are Associated With Left Ventricular Mass in Finnish Men

Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study

Thomas W. Kamarck, PhD; Jaakko Eränen, MD; J. Richard Jennings, PhD; Stephen B. Manuck, PhD; Susan A. Everson, PhD, MPH; George A. Kaplan, PhD; Jukka T. Salonen, MD, PhD, MScPH

From the Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry (T.W.K., J.R.J., S.B.M.), University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pa; the Department of Epidemiology, School of Public Health (S.A.E., G.A.K.), University of Michigan, Ann Arbor; and the Research Institute of Public Health and Department of Community Health and General Practice (J.E., J.T.S.), University of Kuopio, Kuopio, Finland.

Correspondence to Dr Thomas W. Kamarck, Departments of Psychology and Psychiatry, University of Pittsburgh, 520 Bellefield Professional Bldg, 130 N Bellefield Ave, Pittsburgh, PA 15260. E-mail tkam+{at}pitt.edu

Background—Exaggerated cardiovascular reactivity to psychological demands may contribute to the development of left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy. We examined the cross-sectional association between anticipatory blood pressure (BP) responses to bicycle exercise and LV mass in the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study, a population-based epidemiological sample.

Methods and Results—Among 876 men from 4 age cohorts (ages 42, 48, 58, and 64 years), we collected echocardiographic assessments of LV mass along with measures of BP response taken before bicycle ergometry testing. Anticipatory BP responses were positively associated with LV mass, with significant associations only among younger (age <50 years) subjects with elevated resting pressures (3-way interactions for anticipatory BPxagexresting pressure for systolic and diastolic BP, all P<0.05; for younger subjects with elevated systolic BP, P<0.01; and for younger subjects with elevated diastolic BP, P<0.001). Among these subgroups, exaggerated anticipatory BP responses (top quartile) were associated with an incremental increase in LV mass of 10% or greater, corrected for body surface area. Results remained significant after adjusting for age, education, salt consumption, and resting BP, and the pattern of findings was maintained among men with no previous history of cardiovascular disease.

Conclusions—The tendency to show exaggerated pressor responses to psychological demands may be a significant independent correlate of LV mass, especially among young men with high resting pressures. This is the first study to examine such associations in a middle-aged population sample.

Key Words: cardiovascular diseases • epidemiology • exercise • stress

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. A. Laukkanen, S. Kurl, M. Ala-Kopsala, O. Vuolteenaho, H. Ruskoaho, K. Nyyssonen, and J. T. Salonen Plasma N-terminal fragments of natriuretic propeptides predict the risk of cardiovascular events and mortality in middle-aged men Eur. Heart J., May 2, 2006; 27(10): 1230 - 1237. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. A. Laukkanen, S. Kurl, J. Eranen, M. Huttunen, and J. T. Salonen Left Atrium Size and the Risk of Cardiovascular Death in Middle-aged Men Arch Intern Med, August 8, 2005; 165(15): 1788 - 1793. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. A. Laukkanen, S. Kurl, R. Salonen, R. Rauramaa, and J. T. Salonen The predictive value of cardiorespiratory fitness for cardiovascular events in men with various risk profiles: a prospective population-based cohort study Eur. Heart J., August 2, 2004; 25(16): 1428 - 1437. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				J. M. McCaffery, M. Bleil, M. F. Pogue-Geile, R. E. Ferrell, and S. B. Manuck Allelic Variation in the Serotonin Transporter Gene-Linked Polymorphic Region (5-HTTLPR) and Cardiovascular Reactivity in Young Adult Male and Female Twins of European-American Descent Psychosom Med, September 1, 2003; 65(5): 721 - 728. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. W. Kamarck and W. R. Lovallo Cardiovascular Reactivity to Psychological Challenge: Conceptual and Measurement Considerations Psychosom Med, January 1, 2003; 65(1): 9 - 21. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				W. R. Lovallo and W. Gerin Psychophysiological Reactivity: Mechanisms and Pathways to Cardiovascular Disease Psychosom Med, January 1, 2003; 65(1): 36 - 45. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				F. A. Treiber, T. Kamarck, N. Schneiderman, D. Sheffield, G. Kapuku, and T. Taylor Cardiovascular Reactivity and Development of Preclinical and Clinical Disease States Psychosom Med, January 1, 2003; 65(1): 46 - 62. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Sherwood, E. C. D. Gullette, A. L. Hinderliter, A. Georgiades, M. Babyak, R. A. Waugh, and J. A. Blumenthal Relationship of Clinic, Ambulatory, and Laboratory Stress Blood Pressure to Left Ventricular Mass in Overweight Men and Women With High Blood Pressure Psychosom Med, March 1, 2002; 64(2): 247 - 257. [Abstract] [Full Text]

				L. Andre-Petersson, G. Engstrom, B. Hagberg, L. Janzon, G. Steen, D. A. Lane, D. Carroll, and G. Y.H. Lip Adaptive Behavior in Stressful Situations and Stroke Incidence in Hypertensive Men: Results From Prospective Cohort Study "Men Born in 1914" in Malmo, Sweden Editorial Comment: Results From Prospective Cohort Study "Men Born in 1914" in Malmo, Sweden Stroke, August 1, 2001; 32(8): 1712 - 1720. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]