Guide To The Causes And Risk Factors For Peripheral Vascular Disease
Stress
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Peripheral vascular disease is more likely to develop in an individual who experiences chronic high levels of stress. When an individual experiences stress, the body responds with what is known as the stress response. The stress reaction includes an influx of hormones that are meant to prepare the body for a fight or flight response. These hormones increase the individual's breathing rate, heart rate, blood pressure, and cause glucose to be released back into the blood as a quick source of energy for the muscle cells. This mechanism works well when an individual is facing an actual source of danger. However, those exposed to stressful situations regularly have this stress response activated repetitively. After a long duration of constant stress responses in the individual's body, they become hypersensitive to mildly stressful situations. This mechanism causes long-term high blood pressure, high blood sugar, and an increased workload on the heart. All these factors increase an individual's risk of developing atherosclerosis and subsequent peripheral vascular disease.
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