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Selected Publication:
Hoerlesberger, N.
The impact of stress coping strategies on arterial stiffness, baroreceptor sensitivity and stress reactivity
Doktoratsstudium der Medizinischen Wissenschaft; Humanmedizin; [ Dissertation ] Graz Medical University; 2016. pp.
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- Authors Med Uni Graz:
- Hörlesberger Nina
- Advisor:
- Egger Josef Wilhelm
- Trapp Eva-Maria
- Altmetrics:
- Abstract:
- Background: Many publications have already explored the impact of mental stress on the cardiovascular system (Vlachopoulos et al., 2006, Rozanski et al., 1999), describing the serious effects of mental stress in patients with coronary artery disease as well as in healthy subjects (Ghiadoni et al., 2000). Thanks to modern methods it is possible to evaluate parameters of arterial stiffness and to stratify subjects’ risk of cardiovascular events (Trapp et al., 2014). Arterial stiffness and its parameters, pulse wave velocity as direct parameter and augmentation index as indirect parameter, have been mentioned as risk markers for cardiovascular disease (Weber et al., 2004, Baulmann et al., 2008). The baroreflex is the body’s tool to react immediately to any change in the blood pressure (Parati et al., 2000). The more sensitive the baroreceptors, the better the adaption and the lesser the stress on the organism will be. Stress coping strategies are behavioural activities intended to help the individual deal with a stressful situation since stress overload can damage health (Andolina et al., 2013). The novelty of this study is that there are no comparable publications that correlate the parameters augmentation index, baroreceptor sensitivity and heart rate variability with stress coping strategies, evaluated by the “stress coping questionnaire 120”. Methods: Forty volunteers (mean age 42.12 ± 11.62; 13 men and 27 women) underwent a test procedure consisting of a period of rest and a standardized mental stress task (Determination Test), during which cardiovascular parameters were continuously recorded. Arterial stiffness was evaluated oscillometrically with the Mobil-O-Graph® (I.E.M. Stolberg, Germany) by measuring the pulse wave velocity at the brachial artery. Baroreceptor sensitivity and heart rate variability were measured by the Task-Force-Monitor® (C.N.S. Systems Graz, Austria). Finally, subjects completed with the German “Stressverarbeitungsfragebogen 120”, a stress coping questionnaire consisting of 120 items evaluating subjects’ individual stress coping strategies. Results: Subjects with a higher level of negative stress coping strategies had a significantly higher augmentation index 75 than subjects with lower levels of negative stress coping strategies (r = -.380, p = .016). There was no correlation with other parameters of arterial stiffness including central pulse pressure, central blood pressure or pulse wave velocity. Conclusion: Augmentation index 75 showed a significant correlation with negative stress coping strategies. There was no further correlation with other parameters (central pulse pressure, central blood pressure, pulse wave velocity, and others). There is also no significant correlation either between subjects’ stress coping strategies and their baroreceptor sensitivity or with their stress reactivity reflected in heart rate variability. This could be so interpreted that the augmentation index is on the one hand the most sensitive parameter of the cardiovascular reaction to mental stress. On the other hand it could not be ruled out that the registration of the stress coping reaction based on the “stress coping questionnaire 120” could be too unspecific.