A Behavioral Approach for White-Coat Hypertension : Pilot Study of Short-Term Effects of Blood Pressure Biofeedback Treatment

• Published in: Japanese Journal of Behavior Therapy Vol. 21; no. 2; pp. 71 - 78
• Main Authors: Nakao, Mutsuhiro, Shimozawa, Tatsuo, Kuboki, Tomifusa, Nomura, Shinobu, Suematsu, Hiroyuki, Fujita, Toshirou
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Japanese
• Published: Japanese Association for Behavioral and Cognitive Therapies( JABCT ) 30.09.1995; 一般社団法人 日本認知・行動療法学会
• Subjects: auto-shaping method; blood pressure biofeedback; essential hypertension; suppression of the respones of blood pressure; white-coat hypertension; オートシェーピソグ法; 昇圧反応抑制; 本態性高血圧症; 白衣高血圧症; 血圧パイオフィードバック
• ISSN: 0910-6529; 2424-2594
• DOI: 10.24468/jjbt.21.2_71

The purpose of this study is to discuss the application of the blood presure (BP) biofeedback system to the treatment of white-coat hypertension. Subjects of this study were 10 outpatients with hypertension. Five patients with more than 25mmHg of gaps between systolic BP monitored by themselves and that checked by doctor before the treatment were group W, and the other five patients were group N. Four sessions of the BP biofeedback training were performed once a week. The average self-monitored BP in the follow-up period reduced compared with those in the baseline period, but there was no significant change. The average BP checked by doctor reduced significantly (systolic reduction : group W 18mmH, group N 11mmHg, diastolic reduction : group W 11mmHg, group N 8mmHg), and group W showed greater reduction than group N. The BP elevations by the mental stress test of group W were more suppressed than those of group N. Therefore, it is considered that this BP biofeedback system may suppress the response of BP elevation by the stress and may be effective to patients with white-coat hypertension.