Interaction of biofeedback-assisted relaxation and diuretic in treatment of essential hypertension

Thirty patients with essential hypertension participated in a study designed to compare two treatments: diuretic medication alone (n=10) and biofeedback assisted relaxation combined with diuretic (n=20). One of 10 patients lowered BP with diuretic alone and 11 of 20 patients lowered BP with diuretic combined with biofeedback-assisted relaxation. The addition of the behavioral intervention to the diuretic therapy produced a decrease in blood pressure beyond that associated with the diuretic alone. The decreases in BP mediated by diuretic were related to high entry levels of BP, low anxiety, forehead muscle tension, anger expression and plasma renin activity. The BP decrease mediated by combined diuretic and biofeedback-assisted relaxation was associated with high pretreatment BP, anger controlled, low finger temperature and high/normal plasma renin activity.This work supported by the Northwestern Ohio Heart Association under grant No. 93132 to Dr. McGrady.