Study Links Stress, Arterial Blockage

The way people handle stress may be a factor in whether they develop injured blood vessels or blocked arteries, conditions that lead to heart attacks and strokes. Researchers reported the possible link between mental stress and changes to the cardiovascular system in a study published in Circulation, the journal of the American Heart Assn. The study focused not so much on stress as it did on an individual’s reaction to stress. The results suggested that people who handle stress well may be less likely to develop certain cardiovascular problems. Researchers studied 2,682 Finnish men ages 42 to 60. Subjects who reacted most strongly to the stress tests were found to have thicker carotid artery walls than the 20% of subjects who had the smallest reaction.