“…18 The hemodynamic response to mental stimuli, consisting of the combination of a reduction in blood supply and an increase in cardiac demand, might explain the role of mental stress in the onset of myocardial ischemia 1 and in the rise of cardiovascular damage in hypertensive individuals. 19 Moreover, peripheral alterations may increase reactivity in individuals with normal emotional neuroendocrine responses. 20 Our hypertensive subjects, in fact, had no significant differences with regard to familial history and estimated duration of hypertension, BMI, and smoking habit; but those with the highest mFVR value, which is associated with microvascular angina, 21 showed the highest BP reactivity.…”