Control your temper if you care for your heart

25 February 2009

Changes brought on by anger or other strong emotions are linked to future arrhythmias and sudden cardiac arrests, says a new study, says study researcher Rachel Lampert, M.D., F.A.C.C., associate professor, Yale University School of Medicine.

There is a spate of recent studies that correlate stress to sudden cardiac arrests, which are blamed for 400,000 deaths annually.

Chronic work stress and coronary heart disease
As per a study published in the European Heart Journal, the stressed had less time to exercise and eat well and also showed signs of biochemical changes. The study conducted on more than 10,000 British civil servants found out that those under 50 who said their work was stressful were nearly 70 per more likely to develop heart disease than the stress-free. The study documented how workers felt about their job, and also monitored heart rate variability, blood pressure, and the amount of the stress hormone cortisol in the blood, diet, exercise, smoking and drinking patterns.

Researchers then conducted studies to find out how many people had developed coronary heart disease or suffered a heart attack and how many had died of it. It was found that chronic work stress was directly associated with coronary heart disease. Stress upsets the neuroendocrine system and the part of the nervous system which controls the heart, telling it how to work and control the heart rate.

Anger and arrhythmia
Anger is even more detrimental says another study at Yale University which links changes brought on by anger or other strong emotions to future arrhythmias. Published in the March 3, 2009, issue of the Journal of the American College of Cardiology the paper explains how anger-induced electrical changes in the heart can predict future arrhythmias in patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators (ICDs).

While previous studies have demonstrated an increased incidence of sudden cardiac death during times of population stress such as earthquake and war, this study provides the first evidence that changes brought on by anger and other strong emotions can predict arrhythmias.

"It's an important study because we are beginning to understand how anger and other types of mental stress can trigger potentially lethal ventricular arrhythmias, especially among patients with structural heart abnormalities," says Rachel Lampert, M.D., F.A.C.C., associate professor, Yale University School of Medicine.