Stress - Complications 

Complications of stress 

If you experience stress over a long period, or you have severe stress, you may develop other conditions.

These conditions can include:

  • depression: feelings of extreme sadness, despair or inadequacy that last for a long time
  • anxiety: constant feelings of unease, such as worry or fear, that affect your daily life
  • insomnia: difficulty getting to sleep or staying asleep
  • high blood pressure (hypertension)
  • stomach ulcers (peptic ulcer)

Cardiovascular disease

If it is not treated, high blood pressure can cause many different types of cardiovascular disease (conditions that affect your heart and circulation), including:

  • stroke: a serious condition where the blood supply to the brain is interrupted
  • heart attack: a serious condition where the blood supply to the heart is blocked
  • aneurysm: a serious condition that is caused by a weakness in the blood vessel wall, which forms a bulge in the blood vessel

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  • show glossary terms
Inflammation
Inflammation is the body's response to infection, irritation or injury, which causes redness, swelling, pain and sometimes a feeling of heat in the affected area.
Intestines
The intestines are the part of the digestive system between the stomach and the anus that digests and absorbs food and liquid.
Stomach
The sac-like organ of the digestive system that helps digest food by churning it and mixing it with acids to break it down into smaller pieces.

Last reviewed: 22/06/2010

Next review due: 22/06/2012

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