News - Hypertension Week of March 16, 2003/ Vol. 2 No. 11

Study: Stressed People More Like to Suffer Fatal Strokes

People who say they are under a lot of stress have a much higher risk of suffering a fatal stroke than those who claim to be stress-free, according to a study reported in the March 13 rapid access issue of Stroke.

Researchers believe the greater risk comes from unhealthy habits more frequently found among people under great stress. Such people are more likely to smoke and drink excessive amounts of alcohol in addition to being sedentary than people whose lives are less stressful.

The study asked 12,574 to report the frequency and intensity of their stress. Stress was defined as the sensation of tension, nervousness, impatience, anxiety or sleeplessness.

In 13 years of follow-up, 929 participants suffered their first stroke and 207 or 22 percent died within 28 days of being stricken. Of the 716 people who reported high stress, 59 or eight percent had strokes and 18 or 2.5 percent died from their strokes.

Researchers found that the risk of fatal stroke was 89 percent higher for those who reported a high level of stress than for those who reported never or hardly ever having stress.

"Both the person feeling stressed and the physician being consulted should try not only to discuss stress but also stroke risk factors and what can be done to reduce them," said study author Dr. Thomas Truelsen, of the Institute of Preventive Medicine in Copenhagen, Denmark.

"Lay people often mention stress as one of the most important risk factors for stroke, often before well-established stroke risk factors such as hypertension and smoking," Truelsen said. "The scientific literature is inconclusive. Although stress is often mentioned, there is little agreement on what it actually means or how it should be measured."

Other sources: American Heart Association