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Introduction to Cardiovascular Disease, Stress and Adaptation

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Stress and Cardiovascular Disease

Abstract

Psychological stress is increasingly being recognised as a modifiable cardiovascular risk factor, and is being vigorously investigated in animal studies, human experimental and clinical research, and in population-level epidemiological studies.1 There is a growing trend for the incorporation of stress management into cardiac rehabilitation programmes and into preventive cardiology. However, stress is multifaceted and often misunderstood, and requires as much scientific scrutiny as other pathological processes relevant to cardiology. There is thus a need for better understanding of stress and its ramifications by cardiologists and other clinicians caring for cardiac patients, and by those involved in primary prevention. The quality of research into stress management is variable, and care is required in identifying effective evidence-based methods.

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Steptoe, A., Rosengren, A., Hjemdahl, P. (2011). Introduction to Cardiovascular Disease, Stress and Adaptation. In: Hjemdahl, P., Steptoe, A., Rosengren, A. (eds) Stress and Cardiovascular Disease. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84882-419-5_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-84882-419-5_1

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