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A depressive syndrome associated with a systolic blood pressure of less than 120 mm Hg has been reported in the European medical literature; its symptoms may be related to medical overtreatment of hypertension. These authors used the Hispanic Established Populations for Epidemiologic Studies of the Elderly database (2723 subjects; 1590 women aged 65 and older) to study the relation between depressive symptoms and low BP. Hypotension was defined as diastolic pressure less than 75 mm Hg and systolic less than 120 mm Hg. Depressive symptoms were assessed using a validated scale, and subjects self-rated their health and self-esteem.
Investigators found a significant positive correlation between low BP and depression (P=0.01). Those with hypotens…