Stress, coronary disease, and coronary death

Evidence of a positive association between cardiovascular illness and psychological stress presented in the literature is generally not totally convincing, which in part is due to methodological problems in defining and measuring psychophysiological and psychosocial variables. However, both reports in the literature and the clinical experience of most physicians present numerous examples of sudden, unexpected cardiac death, in which the event in all probability has been either induced or hastened by stressful life experiences. This applies to fatal and non fatal cardiac attacks, since both are often preceded by emotional stress. There is pathoanatomical evidence of specific myocardial damage induced by catecholamine release during stressful emotions. Histochemical studies have revealed copious amounts of noradrenaline stored in myocardium especially in patients with ischaemic heart disease. Epidemiological surveys on the relationships between life-stress and coronary mortality and morbidity have demonstrated certain positive associations in many cross-sectional studies as well as in certain prospective studies. Most positive evidence has been accumulated from studies on the influence of loneliness on cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Animal experiments have demonstrated repeatedly that psychological stress evoked by aversive sensoric stimuli or unsuccessful social striving induce cardiovascular pathology including myocardial damage, hypertension, vascular changes and increased risk of sudden cardiac death.