Can anxiety or stress cause increased blood pressure?

Question

Hello doctor,

I am 18 years old, male, and I am 6 feet 2 inches tall. About six months ago, I visited a local emergency room as I was having a lot of PVCs. I was also experiencing extreme anxiety, and it almost felt as if I was having a panic attack all day, every day. I felt fatigued and pain in my left arm, which resembled someone grabbing my arm and squeezing. They performed a variety of tests. I had a chest X-ray, and my blood pressure was taken probably 30 times in the 24-hour stay in standing, sitting, and laying positions because my BP was between 160/100 and 150/100. I had 4 ECGs done, and 2 of them showed at least one PVC during the test. The next morning, I had an echocardiogram, which showed normal results.

I also had blood tests and a 24-hour Holter monitor the day after my stay, which I never heard back, so I am assuming it was okay. A month later, I had a follow-up with my physician, and she said that it was probably all anxiety-related. I also have a constantly visible pulse in my neck. My heart sometimes feels as though it is beating way too hard. I still feel anxious sometimes, but even when I do not, I still have PVCs, sometimes very hard ones. I do not think I am having shortness of breath, but I also do not know what that really would feel like. My concern is I have had these tests, and yet I am still having these PVCs, and they have not done anything to help. I am worried that one day I am going to drop dead from it. I feel as though the doctors dismissed me, so I do not trust what they have told me, and I do not know if there is something wrong with me.

Please help.

Answer 1

Hello,

Welcome to icliniq.com.

I suggest you not to be worried about your condition.

PVC are premature ventricular complexes and occasional PVC could be seen in several people. Usually, these could be due to many causes, but in your case, it seems to be associated with anxiety or stress.

As all tests were done (hopefully Holter monitor too) so, do not panic.

I would like to ask a few questions to assess your condition better.

Did you have Holter monitoring done?
Any stress in life?
Are you a smoker or a nonsmoker?
Any kind of addiction?
Any family history of cardiac problems?
How are your appetite and sleep?

I suggest you follow a few instructions mentioned below.

Avoid consuming too much tea or coffee.
Avoid anything that causes stress or anxiety.
Do yoga or meditation to reduce the flow of thoughts.
Do not think too much as you are perfectly fine, and the more you worry, the more are the chances of re-occurrence of PVC.

I hope this has helped you. Thank you.