Psychology and the risk for cardiovascular disorder: A developmental perspective

Coronary artery disease (CAD), which gradually progresses leading to coronary heart disease, i.e. sudden death, myocardial infarction, and angina pectoris, is still the leading cause of illness and death in Western industrialized countries. During the last decades there has been a decrease of mortality, but not of morbidity. In addition, this disease has decreased in Western countries, but increased in the Eastern ones, so that total mortality remains high.