Effect of Mental Stress on Coronary Flow Velocity Reserve in Healthy Men

The effect of mental stress on coronary flow velocity reserve (CFVR) was examined in healthy men using transthoracic Doppler echocardiography. In the mental stress group (n = 31), CFVR was significantly reduced at 15 (to 3.3 ± 0.8, p <0.001) and 30 (to 3.7 ± 0.8, p <0.01) minutes after mental stress testing, compared with before mental stress (4.3 ± 0.9), whereas it did not change in each of 3 measurements in control subjects (n = 10). Mental stress impaired coronary circulation even after a certain interval after the stress.