Stress-induced heart failure.

Stress produced heart failure in cardiomyopathic hamsters (CMHs) with subclinical heart disease. CMHs exhibited a variety of peripheral manifestations of heart failure including subcutaneous edema, fluid in the abdominal and thoracic cavities, and increased organ weight. In contrast, stress did not produce heart failure in healthy hamsters. These data indicate that the presence of covert heart disease can dramatically alter the pathogenic consequences of stress.