The influence of type a personality in cardiovascular disease

Abstract

The correlations among the psychic repercussions of acute and chronic stress on the atherosclerotic process due to psychosomatic disorders were described more consistently since the middle of the 20th century. The revival of the attentions to them has been revitalized by the necessity to understand, diagnose and treat the effects of the Covid-19 pandemics in the cardiac patients. A pivotal exemplary work demonstrated the relationship of stress and atherosclerosis was experimentally compared when rabbits were placed on a lipid-rich diet in which atherosclerosis was developed (about 40%); however, if in addition to the diet, the animals were submitted to a continuous stress or the administration of benzedrine, about 90% of them presented generalized atheromas The increased risk of coronary heart disease in stress patients is well known. However, prisoners in concentration and war camps, under a strong state of stress, did not present the risk of coronary heart disease, but those who suffered an impact from a hurricane, earthquake or deprivation or even ignominy are deeply affected, bringing harm to the body. Attention must be payed to the importance of the peculiarities of each individually; responses to the stressful factor may depend on their genetic predisposition and specific unconscious fantasies, own and characteristics of each person. Unconscious conflicts would prepare their responses to stressful factors. Studies presented from different perspectives to link them the environmental stress as is presently the Covid-19 occurrence.