Abstract
Abstract :
Background: Hypertension affects over 1.28 billion adults worldwide and remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, with nearly half unaware of their condition (WHO, 2023). Occupational stress, a key psychosocial factor, is often overlooked despite its growing impact amid urbanization and lifestyle changes. The present study, “A Cross-Sectional Study to Estimate the Effect of Occupational Stress as a Viprakrishta Nidana on Vyana Bala Vaishamya (Hypertension),” explores this link through Ayurvedic and modern perspectives, revealing that chronic work-related stress significantly contributes to Vyana Vayu imbalance and hypertension, underscoring the need for integrated preventive strategies.
Aim: This study aims to compare the strength of association between levels of occupational stress in etiopathogenesis among patients of Vyana Bala Vaishamya (Hypertension).
Material and methods: This was a single-centre, cross-sectional study conducted to assess the association between occupational stress and hypertension. Clinically diagnosed hypertensive patients of either gender, aged between 18 to 60 years, and diagnosed within the last 12 months, were enrolled irrespective of their occupation. Each participant underwent a detailed clinical evaluation based on standardized diagnostic criteria to confirm Stage 1 or Stage 2 hypertension, as per current guidelines. After initial screening and obtaining informed consent, eligible patients were included in the study. To assess the level of work-related stress, the Occupational Stress Index (OSI) was administered. This validated tool quantitatively measures occupational stress, allowing classification into mild, moderate, or severe stress categories. All data were collected and analyzed to explore the correlation between occupational stress levels and the severity of hypertension.
Result : Among all patients, 74% patients were of stage 1 diastolic hypertension of which 32.4% were under mild occupational stress followed by 45.9% under moderate occupational stress and 21.6% were suffering high levels of occupational stress.
26% of the patients were of stage 2 diastolic hypertension of which 42.3% were under mild occupational stress followed by 46.1% who were having a moderate level of occupational stress and 11.5% were extremely stressed.
Conclusion: According to the current study, systolic and diastolic blood pressure stages are positively correlated with occupational stress levels. The majority of our research participants experienced moderate to high levels of occupational stress. The etiopathogenesis of Vyana Bala Vaishamya (hypertension) was found to be significantly impacted by occupational stress levels.

Key words: Keywords: Hypertension, Occupational Stress, Viprakrishtha, Vyana Bala Vaishamya Key Message : 1.Occupational stress emerged as a significant Viprakrishta Nidana in the manifestation of Vyana Bala Vaishamya (Hypertension). 2.A positive correlation was observed between increasing levels of occupational stress and progression of hypertension stages. 3.Majority of participants with Stage 1 and Stage 2 hypertension reported moderate to high stress le