Heart Attacks "Linked to Stress" - New Study Shows
We all know of people who have chest pains when under stress, and this alarming symptom is often written off as "indigestion". However, now it seems it could be true that the heart is affected by stress and is not just folklore.
Doctors at University College Hospital, London, a leading teaching hospital, have proved in trials that people susceptible to stress, are also likely to have silent coronary artery disease.
The study involved 514 men and women, with an average age of 62. None of the participants had signs of heart disease at the time of the test.
Each underwent stress tests and then the levels of the hormone cortisol in their systems were measured.
Cortisol is the primary stress hormone and is produced by the body when it comes under mental or physical strain. When it is released, it causes the arteries to narrow.
The participants' arteries were also scanned for any signs of an accumulation of fatty materials on the inner linings of arteries, or furring.
Those people who were stressed by the tests were twice as likely to have furred arteries as those who remained calm, the study in the European Heart Journal found.