Hypertension and depression among medical students: is there an association?

Introduction: Several studies suggested a higher prevalence of hypertension and depression among medical students. Patients with depression have a higher prevalence of hypertension and vice versa. In this study, we assessed the frequency of hypertension and depression in a sample of medical students and the impact of depression on hypertension. Methods: We recruited medical students from the largest medical school in Jordan. For each participant, we measured blood pressure and heart rate under standardized measurement conditions. Participants were also surveyed using the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). We performed univariate analysis followed by linear regression analysis of factors affecting mean arterial pressure. Results: 354 medical students were included. The mean age was 21 years. 196 (55.4%) were females and 158 (44.6%) were males. 139 (70.9%) of females had normal blood pressure (BP), 7 (3.6%) had elevated BP, 44 (22.4%) had stage 1 hypertension (HTN), and 6 (3.1%) had stage 2 HTN. Within males: 60 (38.0%) had normal BP, 27 (17.1%) had elevated BP, 55 (34.8%) had stage 1 HTN, and 16 (10.1%) had stage 2 HTN. 114 participants (32.2%) had no or minimal depression, 197 (55.6%) had mild-moderate depression and 43 (12.1%) had moderately severe-severe depression. There was an association between higher depression scores and higher diastolic blood pressure. Conclusion: The frequency of hypertension and depression was notably high in our sample. There was an association between higher depression scores and higher diastolic blood pressure. We strongly believe that this association should encourage us again to screen our hypertensive patients in general for depression and vice versa. We also recommend adopting screening programs for depression and hypertension in general.