India, Sept. 19 -- Chronic stress from people's everyday lives may be causing lasting structural changes to the heart, harming health and reducing life expectancy.

The findings come from a study of almost half a million adults in the UK, believed to be the largest of its kind, led by researchers at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences and Imperial College London.

The researchers explain that these changes may appear years before people experience any cardiovascular symptoms, remaining a hidden health threat.

Professor Declan O'Regan, British Heart Foundation Chair of Cardiovascular AI at Imperial College London, said: "Our study, which is the largest of its kind, suggests that millions of people could be living with hidden inflammati...