Coping with stress and hypertension-mediated organ damage

Aim of the study: Chronic exposure to high blood pressure may lead to the development of hypertensionmediated organ damage (HMOD). This study compares styles and strategies of coping with stress in hypertensive patients with arterial stiffness or left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) and in individuals with hypertension, but without HMOD. Material and methods: Each study participant (n=93) underwent the following procedures: clinical assessment, echocardiography, pulse wave velocity measurement and psychological testing. Blood pressure in the study group was measured using ABPM method. Carotid-femoral pulse wave velocity (PWV) was assessed to identify patients with arterial stiffness. Left ventricular mass index was measured to diagnose LVH. Each patient was also assessed using three psychometric tools: PSS-10, CISS and Brief COPE. Results: Subjects with arterial stiffness (increased PWV) scored significantly lower than patients with normal PWV in three scales: CISS Avoidance-oriented coping (median values: 39 vs. 41.5; p=0.042), Brief COPE Self-distraction (median values: 1.5 vs. 2; p=0.013) and Brief COPE Venting (median values: 1 vs. 1.5; p=0.037). Individuals with LVH had significantly lower results in Brief COPE Use of emotional support scale than hypertensive subjects with normal left ventricular mass index (median values: 1.5 vs. 2; p=0.041). Discussion: In our study group, hypertensive patients with HMOD preferred different coping styles and strategies than individuals with hypertension, but without vascular and cardiac damage. The mechanism underlying these differences is probably complex. Conclusions: HMOD may be associated with coping styles and strategies, but further research is necessary to fully understand the results of this study

Brain fog and quality of life at work in non-hospitalized patients after COVID-19

Background: There is still a need for studies on the quality of life (QoL) at work among COVID-19 survivors. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the association between the brain fog symptoms and the QoL at work in non-hospitalized patients with previous SARS-CoV-2 infection. Methods: Three hundred non-hospitalized patients (79.33% women; median age, 36 years; interquartile range, 30–48 years) were included in the final analysis. An anonymous neuropsychological questionnaire containing eight different questions on the presence of brain fog symptoms in four time intervals, i.e., pre-COVID-19 and 0–4, 4–12, and >12 weeks after infection, was retrospectively introduced to patients and staff of the University Hospital in Krakow. Additionally, a four-point Likert scale was used to evaluate QoL at work in four time periods. Included were participants aged ≥ 18 years in whom the diagnosis of COVID-19 was confirmed by the RT-PCR from nasopharyngeal swab and the first symptoms occurred no earlier than 3 months before the completion of the questionnaire. Results: Before SARS-CoV-2 infection, 28.00% (n = 84) of patients reported poor QoL at work. Within 4, 4–12, and >12 weeks after infection, a decrease in QoL was observed in 75.67% (n = 227), 65.00% (n = 195), and 53.66% (n = 161) of patients, respectively (p 12 weeks post-COVID-19. In the multivariable logistic regression model, predictors of the deterioration of the QoL at work depended on the time from COVID-19 onset; in the acute phase of the disease (12 weeks after COVID-19 was independently associated with age (OR 0.46, 95%CI: 0.25–0.85, p = 0.014 and OR 1.03, 95%CI: 1.01–1.05, p = 0.025, respectively), problems with multitasking (OR 2.05, 95%CI: 1.40–3.01, p 12 week interval, problems with remembering information from the past (OR 2.21, 95%CI: 1.24–3.92, p = 0.007). Conclusions: Certain brain fog symptoms, such as impaired memory or multitasking, are predictors of a poorer QoL at work not only during the acute phase of COVID-19 but also within more than 12 weeks after the onset of infection