Stress and the heart
Summary
A number of published studies, which have received widespread media coverage, have offered contradictory conclusions on the extent to which stress can cause or exacerbate heart disease. In this article Dr Nick Boon examines whether stress is a cause of heart disease itself or, instead, serves only to hasten an event attributable to other causes.
Key Points
- Most patients and their relatives identify stress as an important causative factor after myocardial infarction (heart attack).
- Stress is difficult to define and impossible to measure, but is associated with increased catecholamines in the blood which increase functional demand on the heart.
- Myocardial infarction is associated with episodes of physical and emotional (perhaps particularly anger) stress, and with a lack of control over one’s own life.
- While stress or other forms of triggering event can be identified in at least 80% of myocardial infarctions, such triggers may only bring forward by a few hours what is an inevitable event.
- Preventing coronary artery disease currently depends on promoting weight control and exercise, stopping smoking, and controlling high blood fat concentrations, hypertension and diabetes mellitus.
Declaration of interests: No conflict of interests declared
