Combating the Effects of Stress

As the economy continues to falter, there are signs people are taking it to heart.

Cardiologist Christine J. Browning is seeing more patients complaining of stress, and for many, the economy is to blame.

"Sometimes they come in saying, 'Oh, I think this is all stress and I don't know why my doctor sent me to have a heart evaluation,'" said Browning, who practices with Richmond Cardiology Associates at the Bon Secours Heart & Vascular Institute.

"Or sometimes they are coming in and just say, 'I am under a lot of stress and I am having more chest pain and I want to get checked out.' Everybody is affected in some way by the economy, by what is going on in our country," Browning said.

To be safe, Browning urges people to get checked if they have symptoms of heart disease, which include chest pain, left-arm pain, shortness of breath, or not being able to exercise at the same capacity.

"You don't want to dismiss it and heart disease is there," Browning said.

Various studies have confirmed that psychosocial factors, such as stress, can increase risk of heart disease and heart attack.

The Framingham Heart Study in 1978 found stress increased risk for heart disease. A large international study found that stress at work and home, financial stress, and experiencing major life events in the past year increase risk for heart attack.

Signs of heart disease in women often get missed, because symptoms can be different from those in men.