The suspicions are true according to a recent study reported by WebMD Health News; anxiety may make heart attacks more likely in aging men.
A twelve year study shows that despite physical risk factors, anxious men are 30% to 40% more likely than calmer men to have a heart attack.
The study, which included 735 men from a large city, began when the participants were 60 years old and had no previous history of heart disease or other risk factors like high cholesterol and diabetes. The men participated in personality surveys which documented their anxiety, anger, depression, and other negative emotions. They also noted down personal facts about education, marital status, and other personality traits, and were regularly screened for any irregularities in blood pressure, alcohol and cigarette use.
At the end of the study, out of 735 men, 75 had heart attacks, 11 of which were fatal. These findings were documented by cardiologists? reviews of hospital records including CT scan and heart scan results of the participants.
What is interesting about the study is that regardless of seemingly more logical factors like age, cholesterol levels, or BMI, the men who had heart attacks were predictable based on high anxiety scores on their personality test.
Locally, a Los Angeles cardiologist team has been teamed up with psychologists at USC, researching the relationship between anxiety and male heart attacks. It seems as though older men who are prone to high-anxiety levels in life are also at a higher risk for a heart attack, whether or not a prior history of heart disease is present. Regular screenings are encouraged and a simple and inexpensive CT coronary calcium scan can tell if you are at risk of a heart attack by visiting a Los Angeles cardiology center near you.