By Brian Berkenstock
InteliHealth Staff Writer
You see them in the supermarket — he's the guy in the express aisle blowing his top when he spots someone with 13 items. You see them on the roads — she's the gal flipping you the finger and yelling so violently you notice spittle fly out her mouth. You see them at work — he's the guy who flies off the handle when presented with criticism. They're angry (intensely and often), and their anger may signal an increased risk for heart disease.
A study published in the May 2000 edition of the journal Circulation reports that people with normal blood pressure, with higher scores on an assessment of their trait anger, are nearly three times more likely to have a heart attack. Even those whose anger is moderate face a significant risk of illness and death from coronary heart disease. Other studies in the years since have yielded similar findings.
What Could Be The Connection?
It isn't clear precisely how or why anger raises the risk of heart disease, but many studies have reported a link between the two.
One theory posits that the secretion of stress hormones when someone is angry (epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine) can damage the endothelium, a layer of thin, flattened cells that line the arteries and can accelerate the development of atherosclerosis. The damage of artery walls and plaque build-up in atherosclerosis is what is ultimately responsible for most heart attacks.
Excess amounts of epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine, collectively known as catecholamines, also can disrupt the electrical rhythm of the heart. Catecholamines are also associated with platelet adhesion. Platelets assist in normal, healthy blood clotting, but they also can adhere to sites of endothelium damage, which can lead to blockages in veins and arteries. This sort of plaque buildup can lead to a complete blockage.
Researchers have not yet shown if better control over your anger would lower your heart-disease risk. But if you need another reason to control your anger, there is a growing body of evidence suggesting that your anger might not be good for your heart as well as your peace of mind.
Anger's Effects Might Start At A Young Age
So you're younger than 45 and think you've got nothing to worry about when it comes to the connection between anger and heart disease?
A study in the May 2000 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association reports that even when you're young, the more hostile you are, the greater your chances of developing coronary-artery calcification, which can be a sign of atherosclerosis, the cause of heart attacks and other heart problems.
Researchers followed 374 men and women ages 18 to 30 years old (at the start of the study) for 10 years. Participants took a 50-question true-false psychological test to measure their hostility. Using electron-beam tomography (EBCT), researchers then measured the degree of calcifications of the arteries in each participant. EBCT is a type of imaging study like a CAT scan that looks for calcifications as a sign of atherosclerosis, damage done to artery walls that can lead to heart attacks. Doctors are still unsure if it can help reduce your risk for developing heart disease. The questionnaire and the tomography were repeated at five and 10 years.
The result? Subjects with hostility scores above average had 2.5 times the risk of calcifications of the arteries than those with scores below average. It is too early to know if this will mean these younger people have a higher risk of heart attacks and heart disease in the future. But this study links two suspected risks for heart disease, anger and coronary artery calcifications, suggesting that both could be useful risk factors to measure. Look for future studies to reveal if coronary calcification are accurate measures of your risk for having a heart attack or heart disease.
Until then, consider controlling your anger at any age. It is good for your heart and good for your mind.
