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Psychological Stress as a Risk Factor for Cardiovascular Disease: A Case-Control Study

Fnu Satyjeet1, Sidra Naz2, Vinesh Kumar3

  • 1Internal Medicine, Chandka Medical College, Larkana, PAK.

Cureus
|November 5, 2020
PubMed

Insights

Psychological stress significantly increases cardiovascular disease risk. Factors like social isolation, marital stress, work stress, childhood abuse, and trauma are linked to higher risks of myocardial infarction and unstable angina.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Psychiatry
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Stress is a known risk factor for various diseases, including cardiovascular disease (CVD).
  • Understanding the specific psychological stressors associated with CVD in a local context is crucial for targeted interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between psychological stress and cardiovascular disease in a Pakistani tertiary care hospital setting.
  • To identify specific types of psychological stress that may increase the risk of cardiovascular events.

Main Methods:

  • A case-control study was conducted between June 2019 and December 2019.
  • The study enrolled 117 patients diagnosed with myocardial infarction or unstable angina as cases.
  • 110 patient attendants were recruited as controls.

Main Results:

  • A history of social isolation (OR, 2.47), marital stress (OR, 2.28), work stress (OR, 3.2), childhood abuse (OR, 2.78), and trauma (OR, 2.67) were associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular events.
  • The study identified significant odds ratios for various psychological stressors.
  • Work stress showed the highest odds ratio among the studied factors.

Conclusions:

  • Psychological stress is an under-recognized yet significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
  • Integrating psychological stress assessment into routine patient history-taking for cardiovascular event risk is recommended.
  • Psychological counseling should be considered as part of the management plan for patients at risk of cardiovascular events.

Keywords:
cardiovascular diseasemyocardial infarctionpakistanpsychological stress

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