Blood pressure and mental health: Study finds cardiovascular link

This is important as BPV has been associated with coronary disease.The study also adds to existing research establishing a link between mental health and physical well-being.The autonomic nervous system (ANS) is a complex network of cells that regulate involuntary physiologic processes like maintaining a constant internal temperature, regulating breathing patterns, keeping blood pressure steady, and moderating the heart rate. The two studies that measured long-term BPV had mixed results, meaning the association between mental health conditions and long-term BPV is less clear.The researchers from the University of South Australia and several universities in Malaysia write that early therapeutic intervention for mental illness “may prevent diseases associated with autonomic dysregulation and reduce the likelihood of negative cardiac outcomes.”Dr. Richard Wright, a cardiologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center, told Medical News Today that the systematic review illustrates how mental illness, “at least in theory”, makes patients “more prone to having cardiac issues that we normally only think would be attributable to atherosclerosis, and hypertension, old age, [etc.].”“I think that’s the main importance of this kind of an analysis: to point out that there are physical ramifications of these emotional issues,” he said.