Comparative study on ghrelin level change and its related factors in hypertensive elders with psychological distress

Objective: To investigate the change of plasma ghrelin level and explore the related factors of ghrelin alteration in elderly hypertensive patients with psychological distress. Methods: A total of 300 elders, who were screened with Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD), and the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) for psychological stress and somato-psychological manifestations respectively, were divided into hypertension group (n = 148) and non-hypertension group (n = 152). Their blood samples were collected to measure the plasma level of ghrelin and total cortisol on the same day. Results: The incidences of anxiety and depression were 27.7 % and 11.7 %, respectively, in all the enrolled elders. However, the rates of psychological distress, particularly anxiety, were significantly higher in the hypertensive elders than in the non-hypertensive ones (43.2 % vs. 12.5 %). Anxiety was positively related to the cortisol level but negatively related to the plasma ghrelin level, and the latter two were negatively correlated with each other. Conclusion: Chronic increase of plasma cortisol induced by long-term anxiety can lead to the reduction of ghrelin level, which then adversely affects blood pressure in elders with psychological distress. Therefore, ghrelin might be a selective antihypertensive medicine for hypertensive elders with anxiety.