There is little or no doubt that stressful situations can cause significant rise in blood pressure. It is no news that a more chronic form of blood pressure is termed “hypertension”. There is a need to discover whether the presence of stress really leads to the development over time.
A systematic review of literature on stress and hypertension
Studies reporting an association between stress and hypertension
A systematic review was carried out to identify, evaluate and summarize the literature related to establishing a causal relationship between stress and hypertension with the use of Bradford-Hills criteria of causality. A search was carried out using CINAHL, MEDLINE, and Pub Med databases and their reference list of included study and other internet sources
Keywords like stress, hypertension, plausibility, dose-response relationship, temporality, coherence, analogy, and epidemiology was used as the search criteria.
The search yielded 10 studies with about 2,000 citations. 4 studies provided moderate evidence for the causation criterion and 6 studies provided strong evidence for the causal criterion. None of the studies agreed with specificity of causes as a criterion for determining that stress causes hypertensions and no study was found that suggests analogy between stress and hypertension.
There is enough significant evidence to fulfill the basic criteria of causation as proposed by Austin Bradford Hill.
Inhaltsverzeichnis (Table of Contents)
- Introduction
- Hill's Criteria Definitions
- Methods
- Results
- Discussions
- Strength of Association
- Experimental Evidence
- Dose Response Relationship
- Specificity in Causes
- Coherence
- Temporality
- Theoretical Plausibility
- Consistency
- Analogy
Zielsetzung und Themenschwerpunkte (Objectives and Key Themes)
The main objective of this systematic review is to investigate the causal link between stress and hypertension using Bradford-Hill's criteria of causation. The paper examines nine criteria proposed by Sir Austin Bradford Hill to determine causality between two variables. The authors analyze existing research to determine whether the criteria are met for a causal relationship between stress and hypertension.
- Hill's criteria of causation
- The relationship between stress and hypertension
- Evidence from systematic review of literature
- Application of the criteria to the specific case of stress and hypertension
- Evaluation of the strength of the association between stress and hypertension
Zusammenfassung der Kapitel (Chapter Summaries)
The paper begins by defining the nine criteria proposed by Sir Austin Bradford Hill, which are consistency, dose response relationship, specificity, temporality, strength of association, theoretical plausibility, experimental evidence, coherence, and analogy. It then describes the methods used in the systematic review, including the databases searched and the keywords used. The authors summarize the results of the review for each criterion, focusing on the studies that provide evidence for or against a causal relationship between stress and hypertension.
The paper goes on to examine the specific evidence for each criterion, using examples from existing research. For example, the authors discuss the evidence for the strength of association criterion by citing studies that show a higher prevalence of hypertension in individuals who are exposed to chronic stress. Similarly, they explore the evidence for the experimental evidence criterion by citing animal studies that show a link between stressful situations and high blood pressure. They also analyze the criterion of dose response relationship, noting that increased exposure to stressful situations is associated with an increased risk of developing hypertension.
Schlüsselwörter (Keywords)
This systematic review focuses on the causal link between stress and hypertension, examining existing literature through the lens of Bradford-Hill's criteria of causation. Key concepts include the nine criteria (consistency, dose response relationship, specificity, temporality, strength of association, theoretical plausibility, experimental evidence, coherence, and analogy), systematic review methodology, and the application of the criteria to the specific case of stress and hypertension.
- Quote paper
- Kingsley Adimabua (Author), A. M. Odiegwu (Author), G. A. Awemu (Author), 2013, A Systematic Review of the Causal Link between Stress and Hypertension with the Use of Hills Criteria of Causation, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/207814
