Poker & high blood pressure

[gorgeous]

I have high blood pressure. I blame some of it on poker. Someone should run a regression test to see whether blood pressure's affected by bad beats and downswings.

[ThinkQuick]

[ QUOTE ]
I have high blood pressure. I blame some of it on poker. Someone should run a regression test to see whether blood pressure is affected by bad beats and downswings.

[/ QUOTE ]
- bold was edited from "pressure's" because it bothered me.


Could be. You probably can't blame it on anything since according to the American Heart Association (http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=2152) 90%+ of patients with hypertension have "essential hypertension" - no specific cause can be found.

Stress certainly causes a temporary rise in BP but there is inconclusive evidence that it leads to high blood pressure in the long-term. I'm pretty sure you wouldn't find higher levels of hypertension in patients who have more bad beats and downswings. I know, not what I would've thought either