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International Journal of Cardiology Research

Vol. 7, Issue 1, Part A (2025)

Exploring the link between chronic stress and endothelial inflammation in heart disease

Author(s):

Yaseen Khashman Hussein

Abstract:

Background: Chronic stress has been consistently linked with the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), and is especially harmful when damaging endothelial function or causing chronic inflammation. One key early indicator for atherosclerosis risk is endothelial dysfunction; the inflammation brought on by long-term stress can make that condition even more serious.
Purpose: This study aims to look at how people with different levels of cardiovascular risk profile have different levels of chronic stress and endothelial inflammation. In addition, we set out to see how stress influences the development of cardiovascular disease via its effects both on these different related physical and emotional levels.
Methodology: Between January 2024 and January 2025 300 subjects (aged between 30-70 years, mix of both sex) participated in this study at Tikrit Teaching Hospital. Participants were categorized by their level of chronic stress, assessed using the Perceived Stress Scale. Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) measured endothelial function, and CRP, IL-6 and TNF-α served as inflammatory markers. Statistical analysis, including Pearson correlation coefficients, was performed to examine the association between stress, endothelial function and inflammatory markers.
Results: High stress was associated with poor endothelial function (FMD: 4.2%±1.5% for high-stress vs 7.1%±p<0.05 for low-stress).Inflammatory markers for hs-crp, il-6, and TNF-α were significantly greater in the high-stress group (CRP: 6.1±2.3 vs 2.4±1.1 mg/L, IL-6: 14.5±4.1 vs 7.2±2.6 pg/mL). TNF-α: 18.2±5.5 vs 9.3±3.0 p<0.01). A strong correlation between stress and inflammatory markers was observed (r = 0.72, p<0.001).
Conclusion: Chronic stress has considerable effects on endothelial function and increases inflammatory markers.Stress management may be an effective way to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
 

Pages: 04-12  |  72 Views  32 Downloads


International Journal of Cardiology Research
How to cite this article:
Yaseen Khashman Hussein. Exploring the link between chronic stress and endothelial inflammation in heart disease. Int. J. Cardiol. Res. 2025;7(1):04-12. DOI: 10.33545/26634104.2025.v7.i1a.57