Assessment of cardiac interoception using behavioral tests in patients with hypertension

Interoception is defined as the perception of body visceral signals. In recent years, clinical studies in this area have focused on patients with neurological and psychiatric disorders, while interoception in patients with cardiac pathologies remains poorly understood.

Aim. The aim was to investigate cardiac interoception in patients with hypertension (HTN).

Material and methods. The study included 38 patients with HTN aged 22-50 years and 38 healthy volunteers aged 26-50 years, matched for sex and age. Interoception was studied using the behavioral tests (mental tracking test and heartbeat detection test). Participants filled out questionnaires aimed at assessing the level of depression, anxiety, alexithymia and body perception.

Results. No significant differences in interoceptive accuracy were found between patients with HTN and the control group. Among the patients, no significant correlations were found between interoception and mental or physiological characteristics (body mass index, blood pressure).

Conclusion. The data obtained suggest that in middle-aged patients with HTN, an increase in interoception associated with high blood pressure is compensated by the formation of an interoceptive deficit. The observed effects are related to the etiology of the cardiac disorder and are not explained by the influence of additional psychological and physiological factors.

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