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

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