[Coronary heart disease: psychosocial aspects of its prevention]

The paper presents results of a retrospective study on 380 male patients (age 30-55) with first myocardial infarction (MI) following a rehabilitation program and 190 healthy controls matched by age, sex and occupational status. It is asked whether by simultaneous analysis of several psychosocial stress conditions related to the time before onset of MI (workload, life events, coronary prone behavior, chronic difficulties combined with loss of social support) it is possible to separate the two groups better than by analysis of somatic risk factors. The hypothesis can be verified in different ways. Findings can be substantiated by a follow-up study relating psychosocial high risks to the rate of cardiac deaths and/or recurrence of cardiac symptoms. Consequences for individual as well as global intervention and prevention are briefly discussed.