atherosclerosis and stress

  can you please tell me if there is a relactionship between the build up of plaque in the coronary arterys and work related stress.

[Cleveland Clinic, MD]

_

Dear Jimmy,
Thank you for your question.  This is one that scientists have been very interested in.  The answers are still unclear.  However, we know that increased stress leads to many strains on the body and buildup of coronary plaque may be one of them.
I hope you find this information useful.  Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only.  Only your physician can provide specific diagnoses and therapies.  Please feel free to write back with additional questions.
If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter.  The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.