January 12, 2017 : Chronic psycho social stress was always in the doubts’ shadow if it really leads to heart conditions and stroke. The latest study that appeared in the Lancet, brings solid proof, which may make us conscious of the risk that daily chronic stress plays in most of our lives.
In the study quoted in the article that appeared in The Lancet, research was done focused on a region in the brain called amygdala - a region involved in stress. It was found that heightened activity in the amygdala is associated with a greater risk of heart disease and stroke.
In this study, 293 patients’ brain activities were tracked with a combined PET/CT scan. They were then tracked for 3.7 years to see if they developed any cardiovascular condition.
It was found that 22 patients had cardiovascular events including heart attack, angina, heart failure, stroke and peripheral arterial disease.
These 22 were those with higher amygdala activity and even among the others those with this increased activity in the stress center of the brain had a greater risk of subsequent cardiovascular disease and developed problems sooner than those with lower activity.
The researchers also found that the heightened activity in the amygdala was linked to inflammation in the arteries, a reason we all know lead to stroke and heart blocks.
In a small sub-study, 13 patients who had a history of Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) also had their stress levels assessed by a psychologist and simultaneously monitored a certain protein level that is known to indicate levels of inflammation in the body.
Those who reported the highest levels of stress had the highest levels of amygdala activity gave signs of inflammation in their blood and the walls of their arteries.
"Our results provide a unique insight into how stress may lead to cardiovascular disease. This raises the possibility that reducing stress could produce benefits that extend beyond an improved sense of psychological well-being," said lead author Dr. Ahmed Tawakol, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, USA.
This landmark study and the subsequent ones to come will impress upon medical practitioners the importance of considering chronic stress as an important risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
“Today, more and more individuals experience psycho-social stress on a daily basis. Heavy workloads, job insecurity, or living in poverty are circumstances that can result in chronically increased stress, which in turn can lead to chronic psychological disorders such as depression." Dr. Ilze Bot of Leiden University, The Netherlands says.
She is further positive that clinical data like those in the above study will establish a strong connection between stress and cardiovascular disease. Identifying it as true risk will convince our medical professionals and stakeholders to bring increased no of individuals under the scanner for cardiovascular risks in daily clinical practice.
Story Source: The Lancet
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