What is the relationship between stress and blood pressure? ...

[Melani1276]

What is the relationship between stress and blood pressure?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

Question 2

What is sudden cardiac death (SCD)? Who is at risk of SCD? What are some of the primary categories of stress-related SCD?
 
  What will be an ideal response?

[janieazgirl]

Answer to Question 1

Acute stress can cause spikes in blood pressure while chronic stress can prevent elevated blood pressure from recovering to its normal homeostatic levels; chronic stress may also drive inflammatory responses. In addition, blood pressure spikes may cause tiny tears in the inner arterial walls that need to be patched by cholesterol-laden plaques. An example of the connection between stress and blood pressure was demonstrated in a study that found blood pressure activity was higher the day before and during a student examination period suggesting that the stress of anticipating an exam and the stress of taking an exam elevated blood pressure. Similarly, higher blood pressure was found in male Hispanic immigrant farm workers in the United States when they experienced increased stress due to perceived discrimination.

Answer to Question 2

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is due to a cardiac event that leads to an abrupt loss of consciousness shortly after the onset of the event. SCD is more likely to occur in individuals with pre-existing coronary and vascular diseases, such as those with coronary artery disease (CAD), angina pectoris, and hypertension, but may also occur in individuals with no evidence of coronary disease. Engel was the first scientific investigator to search newspaper accounts of people who had died of sudden death and draw a common thread of stress. He found that the primary categories of stress-related SCD were personal danger or threat of injury, the collapse or death of a close person, and acute grief.

[Melani1276]

TYSM

[shailee]

Excellent