Avaliação do tratamento da hipertensão arterial com técnicas de relaxamento físico e mental no Hospital de Messejana

Abstract

The role of the phisical and mental relaxation thecnics in blood pressure control remains ill-defined because of placebo effects, small study numbers and technical and methodological limitations. This study examined the impact of a phisical and mental relaxation’s session on the blood pressure of 64 subjects with hipertension type I. The patients were alocated in 2 groups. The first one with 41 subjects that used antihypertensive medication (betablockers or diuretics) and relaxation; the second group with 23 patients that used only relaxation technics. Blood pressure was evaluated using a 24-hr ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). Results showed blood pressure reduction of the components sistolic and diastolic in the two groups. The results were improved in the first group. (SBP=27mmHg DBP=20mmHg and SBP=20mmHg DBP=15mmHg) We concluded that the relaxation technics reduced blood pressure with a large variation because the linkstress phenomenon. We recomend future research with combined behavioral and pharmacological interventions and further explorations trying to determine the capability of placebo effects and personality characteristics to alter the outcome.