Stress Reduction in the Prevention of Left Ventricular Hypertrophy

Maharishi International University171 enrolled

Overview

This study evaluated the effect of stress reduction by Transcendental Meditation (TM) on left ventricular mass compared to a health education control group in pre-hypertensive or hypertensive African-American adults over a six-month intervention period.

Left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD). African Americans have higher rates of LVH and CVD than whites. Substantial evidence indicates that psychological stress contributes to LVH. This randomized controlled trial evaluated the effect of stress reduction with the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique on left ventricular mass (LVM) in hypertensive African-Americans. Hypertensive African American men and women were tested at baseline for left ventricular mass index (LVMI) by M-mode echocardiography, blood pressure, lifestyle and behavioral factors. Subjects were randomly assigned to either TM or health education (HE) control. After six months intervention, 86 subjects were posttested on all outcomes. Data were analyzed for between-group and within-group differences.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

TRIPLE

Enrollment

171

Conditions

Left Ventricular Hypertrophy High Blood Pressure

Interventions

meditationBEHAVIORAL

meditation practice 20 minutes twice a day at home and attending classes at the clinic.

Health education controlBEHAVIORAL

didactic based classes in CVD risk factor reduction and prevention

Eligibility

Sex: ALLMin age: 20 YearsMax age: 75 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: self-identified African-American men and women ages, 20-75 years old, with either prehypertension (systolic blood pressure (SBP) of 120-139 mm Hg and/or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of 80-89 mm Hg), Stage-1 hypertension (SBP of 140-159 mm Hg and/or DBP of 90-99 mm Hg) or Stage-2 hypertension (SBP of 160-179 and/or DBP of 100-109 mm of Hg), with or without antihypertensive medications - Exclusion Criteria: Patients with a history of stroke, transient cerebral ischemic attack, congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction, angina pectoris or with significant ECG abnormalities, major psychiatric or behavioral disorder such as alcoholism (\> 28 drinks per week) \-

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

left ventricular mass (LVM)

The primary outcome was change in LVMI. LVM was measured by M-mode echocardiography and indexed by body surface area to generate LVMI. \[18\] Measurements were obtained at the end-diastole. Interventricular septal thickness, posterior wall thickness, and left ventricle internal dimension were measured.

Time frame: 6 months pre to post

Secondary Outcomes

blood pressure

systolic and diastolic blood pressure

Time frame: 0 and 6 months

anger expression

Speilberger Anger expression scale

Time frame: 0 and 6 months

perceived stress

Perceived Stress Scale, a 5-item subset of the California Self-Evaluation Scale to measure self-esteem, and a personal efficacy scale

Time frame: 0 and 6 months

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.