PSYCHOSOCIAL STRESS-INDUCED HEART-RATE REACTIVITY AND ATHEROGENESIS -CAUSE OR CORRELATION

The relationship between heart rate reactivity and atherogenesis is ex amined Data from empirical studies are presented which support theoret ical suggestions that it is the heart rate itself rather than the incr ease in heart rate following the onset of a stressor which is causally related to the development of arterial atherosclerosis. Several direc tions for research which will clarify this issue are discussed, with r ecent developments in the detection of atherosclerosis suggested as fo rming the basis of more reliable investigation of the effects of cardi ac output variables upon arterial atherogenesis.