Catecholamines participate in a variety of cell regulations and physiological mechanisms, but also in the development of neurological, psychiatrical,endocrine and cardiovascular diseases. Diseases of the cardiovascular system, such as hypertension, myocardial infarction, ischaemia, etc. represent a serious medical problem and a frequent cause of the human death. It is alarming that development of these diseases depends preferentially on the wrong life-style and affect lower age groups. One of the factors that participate on unwilling increase of the incidence of cardiovascular diseases is the stress.Under the stress, organismmobilizes its energetical sources, increases cardiac performance and activates other processes, which enable to handle this load. Catecholamines belong to the important mediators of the stress response. On the one side they are required to buffer the stress situation, but the pathological changes in the regulation of their synthesis, secretion and action significantly participate on the development of several diseases (e.g. also of the cardiovascular origin). The aim of this review is to show the role of catecholamines in the heart not only under the physiological, but also in pathophysiological conditions. Stress as a modern civilization factor participates on the development of several diseases. Understanding of the mechanism of development of these diseases is the first step to the development of an appropriate therapy. Changes in the catecholamine levels during stress, as well as enzymes, which participate on the synthesis of catecholamines, are undoubtely the important part of this mechanism.

        Key words: catecholamines, stress, cardiovascular system