Abstract 005: Cumulative Stress Exposure is Associated With Incident Hypertension in African Americans: Findings From the Jackson Heart Study

Introduction and Hypothesis: Chronic stress has been associated with incident hypertension but evidence is mixed, particularly in African Americans. We tested the hypothesis that higher cumulative exposure to stress would be associated with increased risk of developing hypertension in the Jackson Heart Study (JHS), a prospective study of cardiovascular disease in African Americans. Methods: Analyses included 1,442 JHS participants free of hypertension at baseline (2000-2004) who completed at least 3 annual follow-up telephone interviews. Incident hypertension was defined as systolic blood pressure (SBP) ≥140 mm Hg or diastolic BP (DBP) ≥90 mm Hg or use of antihypertensive medications at Exam 2 (2005-2008) or Exam 3 (2009-2013). A single-item measure of stress (“How much stress have you experienced over the past year?”) was completed during annual interviews, and the percentage of assessments in each measurement interval (i.e., between Exams 1 and 2, between Exams 2 and 3) in which high stress was reported...