Rahul Joshi is a manager in one of the multinational banks in the city. He was hospitalised last week when he suffered a major heart attack. People close to him couldn’t help commenting that Rahul was the last person they thought would land up with a heart attack. He did not fit the profile of a typical “heart attack” patient. He was only 41, looked slim and trim, did not smoke and had never fallen ill in his life. He had in fact undergone an executive health check-up a year back and was given a clean chit by the doctor. When probed further, Rahul revealed that he was going through a lot of stress recently. He had joined his new job only a year back where he puts in 15 to 16 hours a day, has no time for his family and the deadlines to be met were simply killing. So did stress give Rahul his heart attack?

Why is stress bad for your heart?

“Stress” is one of the most common patient complaints one encounters in medicine. Several studies suggest a marked increase in the stress levels among youngsters. There is also a growing evidence suggesting a strong link between the risk of cardiovascular disease, environmental and psychosocial factors. These factors include job strain, relationship problems, social isolation and personality traits.