Heart Diseases - 1 Answers
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Prolonged stress causes affects heart, immune system By Jane E. Allen, Los Angeles Times When someone is confronted with stress — whether physical or psychological — the brain is the first part of the body to respond, reacting in two distinct ways. In one of the reactions, a regulatory part of the brain called the hypothalamus sends signals through sympathetic nerves near the spinal cord to the adrenal glands, commanding them to release the stress hormones epinephrine and norepinephrine (also called adrenaline and noradrenaline). These hormones gird the body for action. They boost heart rate, blood pressure, breathing and blood flow to the muscles and brain, providing an extra surge of energy in times of physical danger. But chronic stress opens the floodgates to epinephrine and norepinephrine, regardless of whether there’s a threat, allowing bacteria, viruses or tumors to flourish and making blood more prone to clotting. The brain’s other reaction comes through the pituitary gland, which sends signals through the bloodstream instructing the adrenal glands to release the stress hormone cortisol and other steroids. In the right amounts, cortisol helps the body recharge, enhances disease resistance, fights inflammation and improves memory. In excess, however, cortisol promotes the accumulation of abdominal fat, suppresses immunity, shrinks brain cells and impairs memory. Overtime, cells become less sensitive to the protective effects of cortisol, and inflammation goes unchecked. Physical or mental stress can take an enormous and sometimes deadly toll on the heart. It increases blood pressure, narrows blood vessels and causes blood to become stickier and more likely to clot, increasing the likelihood of a heart attack or stroke. In February, Irwin published a study in the American Journal of Psychiatry showing that stress and depression in heart attack patients increase amounts of chemicals that make certain immune cells sticky and help them travel to artery linings, where they produce inflammation and promote coronary artery disease. A study published last week in the journal Circulation found that mental stress also triggers irregular heartbeats, which can be deadly
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