Hypertension: Prediction of Biofeedback Success

Hypertension, present in more than 50 million Americans, increases the risk of cardiovascular disease and its associated complications. More persons are turning to alternative medicine to deal with their health problems. Biofeedback may reduce blood pressure and/or allow the reduction of antihypertensive medications in some patients, while having no adverse effects. Yet biofeedback therapy is time-intensive and technician-intensive. Therefore, it is critical to be able to predict which patients with essential hypertension are most likely to lower his/her blood pressure using these techniques. This research proposes to test three different means of predicting whether a hypertensive subject will or will not be successful in lowering his/her blood pressure using biofeedback. Sixty hypertensive subjects will be studied over a three-year period. The results of this study will enable those caring for hypertensive persons to recommend biofeedback in an individualized way, thereby promoting adherence.