Review of Research Topic

It has been proved that traditional risk factors don’t fully explain the developing of cardiovascular diseases. The role of psychosocial factors in the development of cardiovascular diseases is estimated between 25-40%.

From the years of ‘50s many studies analysed the effects of negative emotional states, acute and chronic stressors and social support regarding cardiovascular diseases. We can divide the psychological factors currently confirmed according to three main domains:

1.acute life events and chronic psychosocial stressors (work stressors and family stressors)

2.negative emotional states: depression / depressive symptoms, hopelessness, anger, hostility, anxiety, vital exhaustion, sleep disturbances etc.

3.social factors: loneliness or lack of social support, social conflicts.

The psychosocial factors can turn into cardiovascular risk factors in indirect (behavioural) and in direct (pathophysiological) ways.

The chronic stress can become a risk factor in many ways which connect to each other.

1.By the meditation of psychosocial and biochemical factors (hypertension, the arousal of serum lipoprotein).

2.By direct and indirect effects of unhealthy behaviours (e.g.: smoking, sedentary lifestyle, unhealthy eating habits) and non-adherence.

3. High level of emotional states e.g.: by the development of anxiety, depression, vital exhaustion, anger, etc. Their consequences can be the hyperfunction of sympathetic nervous system and hypothalamus – hypophysis – adrenal cortex axis, the imbalance of the autonomous heart rhythm regulation, the increased ability of platelets for aggregation, the direct injury of blood vessels, the high risk of plaque rupture, the change of immune system.

It is exceptionally important to identify the psychosocial risk factors and conducted tailored psychotherapy besides the reveal of the traditional cardiovascular risk factors.