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Evaluating the impact of stress on systemic disease: the MOST protocol in primary care
Jeffrey L Boone1, Jeffrey P Anthony
1Health Sciences Center, University of Colorado, Denver, USA.
Insights
Mental stress significantly impacts physical health, leading to various conditions. Office-based testing can identify at-risk patients for stress-induced disorders, enabling timely management.
Area of Science:
- Psychosomatic Medicine
- Cardiology
- Primary Care
Background:
- Mental stress adversely affects physical health, manifesting in conditions like headaches, cardiovascular disease, and autoimmune disease flares.
- The pervasive impact of stress necessitates effective identification and management strategies in primary care settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the importance of identifying and managing mental stress symptoms in primary care.
- To introduce office-based mental stress testing as a tool for risk stratification.
Main Methods:
- Utilizing office-based mental stress testing.
- Employing cardiovascular markers to identify stress overresponders.
- Assessing patients for risk of stress-induced disorders.
Main Results:
- Office-based mental stress testing can identify individuals at higher risk for stress-induced disorders.
- Early identification allows for targeted interventions to mitigate negative health outcomes.
Conclusions:
- Primary care physicians can effectively manage mental stress using available testing and interventions.
- Nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic interventions can improve stress response, reducing associated morbidity and mortality.
Abstract:
Mental stress has an enormous impact on physical health. This impact commonly manifests as headache, muscle tension, acne, peptic ulcer disease, or a compromised immune system. Stress is also associated with more serious adverse effects, such as cardiovascular disease and exacerbations of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus. As these effects are far-reaching, it is important for primary care physicians to identify and manage the symptoms of mental stress in their patients. This is increasingly possible with office-based mental stress testing, which uses cardiovascular markers to identify patients who are overresponders to mental stress, and, thus, at risk for stress-induced disorders. Mental stress in this population can be managed with nonpharmacologic and pharmacologic interventions to improve patients' responses to stress and decrease morbidity and mortality associated with this condition.