RESUMEN
Introduction: Hypertension is one of the leading disorders contributing to significant morbidity and mortality in the world today. Today’s stressful life and modern life styles including the food habits have increased the incidence, acquiring a status of modern day epidemic along with diabetes mellitus. The onset and severity of complication in a system is said to be dependent on the duration of hypertension and the degree of its control. Autonomic dysfunction is drawing more and more attention of the medical fraternity for its supposed role in sudden deaths observed in hypertensive and diabetics. Aim of the study: Our aim is to Hand grip test and Cold presser test in normotensive and moderately hypertensive patients. Materials and methods: A comparative study of cardiovascular autonomic function tests in hypertensive and normotensive individuals was conducted in the Department of Physiology, Department of Community Medicine, RMMCH-Urban Health Centre, Chidambaram on 25 hypertensive patients in the age group of 30-40 years and age matched control group of 25 normotensive individuals. The study was programmed to assess sympathetic nerve functions based on cardiovascular parameters like blood pressure and heart rate measurement. Among the autonomic function tests discussed in the review of literature. Results: In HGT this is an indicator for sympathetic insufficiency. Rise in DBP of > 16 mmHg is taken as normal. In autonomic disorder the rise is < 10 mmHg.
RESUMEN
Background : As academic examination stresses are associated with changes in the mental and physical health such as increasing anxiety, increasing negative mood. Objective : The objectives for the study were to assess anxiety and sympathetic activity using TMAS and CPT respectively one month before examination and hour before examination .Both these parameters were compared and analysed. Method: Parameters were recorded with the help of Taylor manifest anxiety scale questionnaire and cold pressor test. Students were subjected to the tests between 9:30 to 10:30am one month prior to examination and one hour prior to preliminary practical examination in Physiology. Collected data was analysed using MW test and paired ‘t’test. Result : It was observed that students were having high level of anxiety even before one month of examination. Approximately 64 % of males and 53% of females were having high anxiety one month before examination. However, only 54% males and 53% females were having high anxiety one hour prior to examination. Another finding was increase in systolic and diastolic BP one hour before to examination compared to one month before examination, though the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusion: It is evident from the study that thought the results are not statistically significant basal increase in anxiety score indicates that medical students exhibit higher anxiety levels even in the absence of examination.