The prevalence of risk factors of cardiovascular diseases in persons with arterial hypertension exposed to occupational stress

Abstract

Based on the literature data and the results of their own research, the authors emphasize the importance of studying adverse effects of high emotional load during stress-induced hypertension and draw attention to the high prevalence of modifiable risk factors of cardiovascular disease among servicemen exposed to occupational stress. It has been shown that lifestyle of hypertensive subjects under heavy stress is characterized by irrational changes in eating behavior, high prevalence of smoking, increased alcohol consumption, and low physical activity. The leading role of long-term emotional stress was demonstrated as an independent risk factor of hypertension in servicemen exposed to long-term occupational psycho-emotional stress. Analysis of the intima-media complex thickness in brachiocephalic arteries, depending on the level of psychosocial stress demonstrated that the group of the examined servicemen with hypertension showed changes that might be due to the development of atherosclerotic process, the response to increased flow, and arterial wall tension at a high level of stress. These changes are unidirectional regardless of the duration of hypertension history. Results of evaluation of the overall risk of developing cardiovascular complications based on the SCORE scale in the servicemen with established and newly diagnosed hypertension under heavy stress suggest its enhancement in the next 10 years which makes necessary implementation of a system of measures for preventing and correcting pathological conditions caused by stressful loads. Stratification of risk factors is essential for early diagnosis of hypertension and the choice of adequate therapy in subjects undergoing high psycho-emotional stress.