title: Beta-endorphin response to exercise and mental stress in patients with ischemic heart disease.
abstract: We compared symptomatic, hemodynamic and opioid responses of heart disease patients to exercise testing and a stressful public speaking task. Plasma beta-endorphins were measured at rest and immediately post stress. Nineteen of 50 patients had angina during exercise; 31 had asymptomatic ischemia. No patient had angina during the speech, but two had ECG changes and 39% had radionuclide changes indicating ischemia. Patients with asymptomatic ischemia on exercise had a significantly greater beta-endorphin response than those with angina. Public speaking elicited a significantly larger beta-endorphin increase relative to change in double product (an index of stress) than did exercise.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  (1) Patients with silent vs painful ischemia experience a greater beta-endorphin response to exercise. (2) beta-endorphin response to a speech stressor is greater than to exercise when controlled for an index of stress. (3) Increased beta-endorphin response to a speech stressor may partially explain the predominance of silent ischemia during psychological stress.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill.
authors.forename: P F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Miller
authors.forename: K C
authors.initials: KC
authors.lastname: Light
authors.forename: E E
authors.initials: EE
authors.lastname: Bragdon
authors.forename: M N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Ballenger
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Herbst
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Maixner
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Hinderliter
authors.forename: S S
authors.initials: SS
authors.lastname: Atkinson
authors.forename: G G
authors.initials: GG
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Sheps
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000787:Angina Pectoris / Q000097:blood / Q000523:psychology; D001143:Arousal / Q000502:physiology*; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000523:psychology; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000097:blood / Q000523:psychology; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000097:blood* / Q000523:psychology; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000150:complications*; D001615:beta-Endorphin / Q000097:blood*
chemical_list: D001615:beta-Endorphin