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)