Scared to Death: The Link Between Stress and Coronary Heart Disease

Summary

It is the fact that long-lasting stress affects human’s organism negatively. Many researchers are trying to establish the link between stress and heart disease.

To begin with, scientists carried out a number of studies to establish that link. One research reveals that people who experienced certain traumatic events such as violence, physical abuse or neglect in childhood are more likely to have a heart disease later in life. Other research examined patients who have experienced the first heart attack in their lives. This research showed that smoking, cholesterol profile, high blood pressure and obesity increase the probability of heart attack.

Stress can lead to heart diseases directly and indirectly. Increased blood pressure, induced inflammation and other physiological changes are direct effects on the heart that are caused by stress hormones. Moreover, people who suffer from stress can start to behave wrongly. Indirect effects on the heart are smoking, poor eating habits, lack of exercise and so on.

All in all, it is important for people to cope with stress because it has negative consequences which can be reason of heart diseases.