Heart disease usually involves the formation of a fatty substance called plaque in the walls of coronary arteries, which supply blood to the heart.
If arteries become narrowed enough or blocked, the person may suffer from heart attack.
Among the many factors that have been found to be related to the risk of developing heart disease are high blood pressure, cigarette smoking, the history of heart disease among one’s close relative, being relatively overweight and a high level of a fatty substance called cholesterol in the blood.
In addition to all of these factors, it is now clear that stress can have a major impact on the development of heart disease.
People who continually undergo a great deal of stress and who lack the ability to control it are at a significantly higher risk for heart disease than people who undergo less stress or who can manage stress successfully.
Jobs that impose high psychological demands but provide the workers with little control - such as a cook, a waiter and a hospital orderly - seem to breed heart disease.