Hostility Levels Linked to Heart Health
Reported November 17, 2005
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — A permanent hostility toward others does not affect the long-term heart health of women, according to a recent article in the journal Heart. The same, however, is not true for men.
In a study of more than 3,000 adults in Nova Scotia, Canada, evidence of coronary artery heart disease was present in 139 men and 88 women. All risk factors were assessed, including personality type. A key component to the patients’ level of hostility was whether they were type A personalities, which according to researchers, is linked to an increased risk of poor heart health.
Researchers monitored the group for four years, documenting illness or hospital admission related to heart disease. Investigators found the recurrence rates were similar among the sexes; however, there was a difference in the impact of hostility. After taking into account other influential factors, men with high hostility scores were twice as likely to have recurrent episodes of poor heart health as men with low hostility scores. There was no difference among women with varying levels of hostility.
Authors say, while it is unclear how hostility affects cardiovascular health, hostility management may be helpful in preventing recurrent heart disease in men.
SOURCE: Heart, published online Nov. 14, 2005