Can stress cause a stroke?

More and more studies show that permanent stress has the fatal impact of on the human body. A recent study now indicates an association between psychosocial stress and strokes. Especially the elderly are at risk group.

How much durable stress harms the body, proves a recent study by American researchers. Thus, psychosocial stress is particularly dangerous for the elderly.

Although it was not clearly demonstrated in this study that older people who suffer from stress more frequently suffer from stroke. However, a clear link between the risk of death and stress already showed. As part of the “Chicago Health and Ageing Project” could be shown that amount of people who can die from stroke, annually increase over 65 people and all it because of higher stress.

Stress significantly increases the risk of death from stroke.

For the study, scientists have monitored and studied more than 4,000 people during ten years. All participants were at least 65 years old. The researchers recorded 151 deaths from stroke and 452 events that led to a first hospitalization from a stroke. In addition, the researchers found that patients with the greatest psychosocial problems have a three times higher risk of death from stroke than rest.

As psychosocial problems not only stress but also discontent, worry and constant brooding was counted. In a separate analysis, the researchers found an association between psychosocial stress and the risk of hemorrhagic stroke (blood flow), but not for ischemic strokes (by blood clots).