Impact of Blood Phobia on Fainting Susceptibility

Condition(s) studied

Investigational drug(s) / intervention(s)

blood-injection-injury (BII) phobia stimuli: 498 seconds of BII phobia-related images and videos will begin two-minutes prior to head-up tilt test, while in supine.

neutral stimuli: 498 seconds of neutral images and videos will begin two-minutes prior to head-up tilt test, while in supine.

Study summary

The primary purpose of this study is to characterize cardiovascular autonomic function to emotional stimuli (blood-injection-injury phobia \[needle phobia\]) during an orthostatic (upright) challenge in individuals with and without known needle phobia. It is well established that emotional stress can produce hypotensive (low blood pressure) reactions. Interestingly, these hypotensive reactions to venipuncture (even with minimal blood drawn), insulin injections, finger sticks for blood sugar monitoring, dental care, and vaccinations can affect up to a quarter of adults and appear to be uniquely associated with blood-injection-injury phobia rather than other phobias. These hypotensive reactions can ultimately lead to a vasovagal syncope (fainting) response, and lead to increased avoidance of medical and dental procedures as a result of this phobia. Ultimately, this has severe implications on public health and places additional strain on the Canadian healthcare system. Currently, there is limited understanding surrounding the initiation of this response. Additionally, a comprehensive profile of cardiovascular autonomic function during exposure to provoking stimuli during orthostatic stress has not been captured in the literature. We will test individuals with and without blood-injection-injury phobia using our standard approach while exposing them to emotional stimuli.

Eligibility

Primary outcome measure(s)

• Orthostatic Tolerance — 0-50 minutes
  Time (in minutes) to reach presyncope

Trial sites (1)

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