Potential impact of generalized anxiety disorder on future hypertension risk: Investigating the role of psychophysiological stress pathways

Table 2 Psychophysiological stress indicators and heart rate variability, median (P25, P75)/mean ± SD

Indicators	GAD group (n = 96)	Non-GAD group (n = 204)	t/Z value	P value
Cortisol (nmol/L)	468.2 ± 92.5	402.6 ± 85.1	4.320	< 0.001
CRP (mg/L)	2.9 (1.6, 4.8)	1.8 (1.0, 3.1)	2.892	0.004
IL-6 (pg/mL)	4.2 (3.1, 5.9)	3.1 (2.4, 4.3)	3.354	0.001
SDNN (milliseconds)	118.6 ± 28.9	136.9 ± 30.4	3.781	< 0.001
RMSSD (milliseconds)	26.4 ± 10.2	32.9 ± 11.4	3.663	< 0.001
HF (milliseconds2)	272 (188, 401)	356 (244, 510)	2.556	0.011
LF/HF	2.21 ± 0.86	1.72 ± 0.73	3.675	< 0.001

CRP: C-reactive protein; IL-6: Interleukin-6; GAD: Generalized anxiety disorder.