The effects of occupational stress on blood pressure in men and women

Abstract

Human hypertension is the end result of a number of genetic and environmental influences, and typically develops gradually over many years. The sympathetic nervous system appears to play a role in the early stages, with structural changes in the resistance vessels becoming dominant later on. The extent to which increased sympathetic actively may be the result of environmental stress is uncertain. Animal studies have suggested that chronic stress can raise blood pressure. Human epidemiological studies have shown that the prevalence of hypertension is strongly dependent on social and cultural factors. Blood pressure tends to be highest at work, and studies using ambulatory monitoring have shown that occupational stress, measured as job strain, can raise blood pressure in men, but not women. This may be associated with increased left ventricular mass. The diurnal blood pressure pattern in men with high strain jobs shows a persistent elevation throughout the day and night, which is consistent with the hypothesis that job strain is a causal factor in the development of human hypertension.