ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION Both physical and mental stressors have been applied in the laboratory to assess the blood pressure response to stress. Physical stress may involve active physical activity, including dynamic or static exercise, or passive physical stress, such as in the cold pressor test. Mental stress is evoked via a problem of mathematical, technical, or decisional nature.1 Whereas all of these stressors increase blood pressure, correlations between blood pressure responses to the various stressors are limited.2,3 In addition, laboratory stress tests do not, in general, reflect real life stress.3,4 Nevertheless, the blood pressure responses to these stressors are of interest because they may relate to target organ damage and predict future hypertension and cardiovascular disease.
