Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Stress - Related
illness: Cardiovascular
disorders
- actue & chronic stress may affect many different aspects of
the cardiovascular system - the heart & circulatory system
- e.g. - hypertension (high blood
pressure)
- cornoary heart disease (CHD) caused by atherosclerosis (narrowing of the coronary arteries)
- stroke (damage caused by disruption of blood supply to the brain)
- although such cardiovascular disorders are affected by lifestyle, diet,
smoking etc - stress has become increasingly implicated in the
development of all the disorders listed above
- suggestions have been put forward to explain this:
- stress activates the sympathetic branch (SNS) of the
autonomic nervous system - leads to a constriction of
the blood vessels and a rise in blood pressure and
heart rate
- an increase in heart rate may wear away the
lining of blood vessels
- stress leads to increased glucose levels - leading to clumps blocking the blood vessels
- research
- Russek (1962) looked at heart disease in medical professions
- 1 group of doctors was designated as high stress (GPs and anaesthetists) others designated as low stress (pathologists and dermatologists)
- Found heart disease greatest among GPs - 11.9%, lowest in dermatologists - 3.2%
- supports the view that stress is linked to heart disease
- William et al (2000) conducted a study to see whether anger was linked to heart disease
- 13,000 people completed 10 - question anger scale
- none of the participants suffered heart disease at the outset of the study
- 6 years late health of participants was checked - 256 had experienced heart
attacks - those who scored highest on the anger scale were over two and a
half times more likely to have a heart attack than those with lowest scores
- suggests that anger may lead to cardiovascular disorders
- evaluation:
- the sympathetic branch of the ANS in some individuals is more reactive than others
- (Rozanski et al 1999)
- means that some people respond to stress with greater increases in blood pressure
and heart rate than others, leads to more damge to the cardiovascular system in
hyperresponsive indiviudals
- Sheps et al (2002)
- conducted landmark study which supports that
stress can be fatal for people with existing
coronary artery disease.
- focus their research on voulenteers with ischemia
(reduced blood flow to the heart) - gave 173 men
and women psychological tests
- blood pressure soared dramtically and in half of them -
sections of muscle of the left ventricle began to beat
erratically
- 44% of participants who had erratic heartbeats died within
3-4 years compared to 18% who didn't
- shows that psychological stress can increase the risk of death in people
with poor conoary artery circulation
- Orth - Gomer et al (2000)
- showed among married or co-habiting women, marital conflict was associated with a 2.9 fold
increase in recurrent levels (e.g. heart attack)
- for women with existing coronary heart disease