ABSTRACT
Stress at the present time is both subtle and prolonged, affecting the psyche rather than the soma. Adverse effects may ensue in a number of physical illnesses and major depressive illness may supervene. Stress and depression consistently impair the immune response to illness as in cardiac disorders, infections and cancer. The etiology of stress-induced illness is multi-faceted but six important components and six relevant symptoms can be derived from the alphabetical constitution of word itself. In the acute stress situation these changes rapidly revert to normal with cessation of challenge, but with long continued stress, they may become perpetuated and result in adverse effects on the cardiovascular system. An increasing awareness of the role that stress may play in the etiology of sustained hypertension might well lead to a better control of stress factors in the patient's life. Thus, he or she may be spared the “life sentence” of antihypertensive drug therapy, which itself may constitute a potent stress factor.
