JACC
HOME SUBSCRIPTIONS CURRENT ISSUE PAST ISSUES CARDIOSOURCE SEARCH HELP FEEDBACK
QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced]


     

J Am Coll Cardiol, 1995; 25:1499-1503
© 1995 by the American College of Cardiology Foundation
This Article
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Sheps, D.
Right arrow Articles by Light, K.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Sheps, D.
Right arrow Articles by Light, K.

Psychophysical responses to a speech stressor: correlation of plasma beta-endorphin levels at rest and after psychological stress with thermally measured pain threshold in patients with coronary artery disease

DS Sheps, MN Ballenger, GE De Gent, R Krittayaphong, E Dittman, W Maixner, W McCartney, RN Golden, G Koch, and KC Light

Department of Cardiology, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, USA.

OBJECTIVES. We tested the hypothesis that psychological stress alters plasma levels of opioid peptides and that these plasma levels are related to pain perception in patients with coronary artery disease. BACKGROUND. Public speaking psychological stress has previously been shown to be associated with silent ischemia. METHODS. After instrumentation and a 30-min rest period, venous blood samples for beta-endorphin were obtained before and immediately after psychological stress in 20 patients with coronary artery disease. Pain threshold was then assessed using a thermal probe technique at baseline and immediately after stress. Patients gave three brief speeches lasting a total of 15 min about real-life hassle situations. RESULTS. Psychological stress significantly increases plasma beta-endorphin levels (4.3 +/- 0.9 pmol/liter [mean +/- SE] at rest to 8.3 +/- 2 pmol/liter after stress, p < 0.05). There was a significant positive correlation between pain threshold and beta-endorphin levels after stress (r = 0.577, p = 0.008). This significant positive correlation was still present while rest blood pressure and change in blood pressure during stress were controlled for by analysis of covariance techniques. CONCLUSIONS. In patients with coronary artery disease and exercise-induced ischemia, public speaking produces psychological stress manifested by increased cardiovascular reactivity and causes an increase in plasma beta-endorphin levels that is significantly correlated with pain thresholds. These findings may explain the predominance of silent ischemia during psychological stress in patients with coronary artery disease.


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 HeartHome page
N F Jarmukli, J Ahn, A Iranmanesh, and D C Russell
Effect of raised plasma beta endorphin concentrations on peripheral pain and angina thresholds in patients with stable angina
Heart, August 1, 1999; 82(2): 204 - 209.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 CirculationHome page
A. D. Goldberg, L. C. Becker, R. Bonsall, J. D. Cohen, M. W. Ketterer, P. G. Kaufman, D. S. Krantz, K. C. Light, R. P. McMahon, T. Noreuil, et al.
Ischemic, Hemodynamic, and Neurohormonal Responses to Mental and Exercise Stress: Experience From the Psychophysiological Investigations of Myocardial Ischemia Study (PIMI)
Circulation, November 15, 1996; 94(10): 2402 - 2409.
[Abstract] [Full Text]


HOME SUBSCRIPTIONS CURRENT ISSUE PAST ISSUES CARDIOSOURCE SEARCH HELP FEEDBACK
Copyright © 1995 by the American College of Cardiology Foundation.