Personality Traits Increase Heart Disease Risk
Reported November 22, 2006
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — If you’re often depressed, anxious, hostile or angry, you could be increasing your risk for heart disease. New research reveals people with a combination of these “negative” personality traits are more likely to suffer from heart disease.
Researchers at Duke University Medical Center in Durham, N.C., analyzed data from 2,105 Vietnam War veterans who were in the U.S. Air Force Health Study. The health of the veterans was tracked for 20 years. None of the participants had heart disease when the study began.
The men had physical examinations six times during the study, checking their blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and body mass index — information that can determine whether someone is at risk for heart disease. Their personality traits were also determined.
The study reveals each negative personality trait by itself was significantly associated with an increased risk for heart disease. But a combination of all the traits was the best predictor of the risk.
Researchers report their findings may prompt doctors to look at personality traits in addition to physical health to determine a patient’s overall risk for heart disease.
“In the future, doctors may wish to explore the use of earlier interventions aimed at diminishing negative personality traits in people who may be most at risk for future heart disease,” reports lead investigator, Edward C. Suarez, Ph.D., from Duke University Medical Center.
But Dr. Suarez notes because the participants were all men and most of them were white, the findings cannot be generalized to others.
SOURCE: Psychosomatic Medicine, published online Nov. 16, 2006