Stress leads to inflammation even without germs

Stress endangers the health of our heart
Stress is not good for the human heart. This statement should probably be widely known. Researchers now investigated why stress affects the health of our heart. They found that anxiety and stress are associated with a particular region of the brain. This is also involved in the development of strokes and heart disease.

The researchers from the Massachusetts General Hospital found in their study that the activity in the so-called amygdala can increase the risk of subsequent cardiovascular disease. Fears and stress affect this part of the brain. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "The Lancet".

That too much stress is not good for human health should be known to most people. How exactly does stress affect cardiovascular disease? (Image: hriana / fotolia.com)

Study: The amygdala gets stressed out
The results of the current study lead straight to several new findings, say the experts. One of them is that the amygdala is affected by stress. This may increase the risk of subsequent cardiovascular disease, explains author Dr. Ahmed Tawakol of the Massachusetts General Hospital. The amygdala is a critical component of the so-called stress network in the brain. This region becomes metabolically active during periods of stress, the author explains. The current research may reveal new ways to reduce stress-related cardiovascular disease, researchers hope.

Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death worldwide
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in men and women around the world. In the United States alone, more than one-third of adults suffer from at least one type of cardiovascular disease, and heart disease is also the leading cause of death in this country.

Stress leads to increased activity of cells in the bone marrow and spleen in animals
The current study included 293 adult subjects. In the period between 2005 and 2008, they underwent various so-called PET and CT scans at the Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston. These scans detected brain activity, bone marrow activity, spleen activity and inflammation in the cardiac arteries, explain the scientists. Some studies on animals have already suggested that stress can lead to increased activity of cells in the bone marrow and spleen.

Subjects were medically monitored for two to five years
Researchers monitored patients' health for a period of two to five years. During this time, 22 of the subjects suffered a so-called cardiovascular disease event. These include, for example, strokes, heart attacks or heart failure, the experts explain.

Higher amygdala activity increases risk of cardiovascular events
After analyzing the scans and heart health of all patients, the researchers found that higher activity in the amygdala was associated with a greater risk of cardiovascular events. Lonely people also have an increased likelihood of heart disease, say the authors in the study.

Higher amygdala activity associated with inflammation in the arteries
The connection between the amygdala and cardiovascular disease remained significant even after considering the risk of other cardiovascular risk factors such as smoking, diabetes or hypertension, explain the physicians. The researchers also found that the activity of the amygdala was associated with increased bone marrow activity and inflammation in the arteries.

More research is needed
Stress can activate the amygdala, leading to additional immune cell production by the bone marrow. This process in turn affects the arteries and can cause inflammation, which can lead to, for example, a heart attack or a stroke, explain the physicians. Now more research is needed to replicate the results in a larger sample of patients. (As)