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Bursts of anger could increase heart attack risk

European researchers have found that people who have outbursts of anger are at greater risk of having a heart attack or stroke in the two hours immediately after the episode, reports [s]Business Day[/s]. The study is the first to give powerful statistical backing to suspicions that strong emotions can drive cardiac risk, although the underlying biological causes remain unclear. ‘Although the risk of experiencing an acute cardiovascular event with any single outburst of anger is relatively low, the risk can accumulate for people with frequent episodes of anger,’ said [b]Elizabeth Mostofsky at the Harvard School of Public Health[/b] in Massachusetts. ‘This is particularly important for people who have higher risk due to other underlying risk factors or those who have already had a heart attack, stroke or diabetes. The report says further research is needed to pinpoint this mechanism and to fine-tune options for doctors mulling whether the best treatment should be drugs to lower cholesterol or blood pressure or psychological help or physical exercise to curb dangerous anger episodes – or perhaps a combination.
[link url=http://www.bdlive.co.za/life/health/2014/03/05/anger-outbursts-linked-to-swift-heart-attacks]Full Business Day report [/link]
[link url=http://eurheartj.oxfordjournals.org/content/early/2014/03/03/eurheartj.ehu033.abstract]Study[/link]

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