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NEW DELHI: Stress is a known risk factor for heart attack. But how prevalent is it among persons suffering from the life-threatening condition?
A study published in the Indian Heart Journal, in which the doctors tested the stress levels among patients admitted with heart attack at Delhi’s G B Pant hospital, found 92% of the patients, especially the younger ones, had high to moderate levels of stress. “Increased stress levels were associated with worse outcomes,” Dr Mohit Gupta, lead author of the study, told TOI.
He added that the first initial study that showed a link between stress and cardiovascular disease was the INTERHEART study. “Over decades, the change in lifestyle, mounting pressure of work and personal and professional levels of stress have surmounted significantly and it has taken a toll on the heart,” Dr Gupta, a professor of cardiology at G B Pant hospital said.
He explained that there has been no study to look into the prevalence of psychological stress in India in the post-Covid era and its link with heart attacks.
In the IHJ study, the researchers enrolled 903 patients who presented to the hospitals with acute or moderate heart attack. They were followed for a month, during which their stress levels were examined through standard methodology.
A majority of patients with AMI (Acute Myocardial Infarction), also known as heart attack, had either severe (53%) or moderate (38%) stress while low stress levels were observed in 9% patients, according to the study published in the IHJ. Dr Gupta said the study results underscore the need for prioritising self-care.
Several mechanisms have been postulated for linking stress with CVD or cardiovascular disease, according to the researchers. This includes: a) behavioural factors such as smoking, alcohol, lack of exercise, poor adherence to medications, b) heightened sympathetic activity leading to increased heart rate and raised blood pressure, c) reduced insulin sensitivity, d) endothelial dysfunction, and e) increased platelet aggregation. “All of these factors may either individually or in combination leads to an increased risk of CVD in patients with a higher degree of stress,” the study claims.
A study published in the Indian Heart Journal, in which the doctors tested the stress levels among patients admitted with heart attack at Delhi’s G B Pant hospital, found 92% of the patients, especially the younger ones, had high to moderate levels of stress. “Increased stress levels were associated with worse outcomes,” Dr Mohit Gupta, lead author of the study, told TOI.
He added that the first initial study that showed a link between stress and cardiovascular disease was the INTERHEART study. “Over decades, the change in lifestyle, mounting pressure of work and personal and professional levels of stress have surmounted significantly and it has taken a toll on the heart,” Dr Gupta, a professor of cardiology at G B Pant hospital said.
He explained that there has been no study to look into the prevalence of psychological stress in India in the post-Covid era and its link with heart attacks.
In the IHJ study, the researchers enrolled 903 patients who presented to the hospitals with acute or moderate heart attack. They were followed for a month, during which their stress levels were examined through standard methodology.
A majority of patients with AMI (Acute Myocardial Infarction), also known as heart attack, had either severe (53%) or moderate (38%) stress while low stress levels were observed in 9% patients, according to the study published in the IHJ. Dr Gupta said the study results underscore the need for prioritising self-care.
Several mechanisms have been postulated for linking stress with CVD or cardiovascular disease, according to the researchers. This includes: a) behavioural factors such as smoking, alcohol, lack of exercise, poor adherence to medications, b) heightened sympathetic activity leading to increased heart rate and raised blood pressure, c) reduced insulin sensitivity, d) endothelial dysfunction, and e) increased platelet aggregation. “All of these factors may either individually or in combination leads to an increased risk of CVD in patients with a higher degree of stress,” the study claims.
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