NEW HAVEN, Conn., Feb 24, 2009 (UPI via COMTEX) -- Anger and other strong
emotions can predict arrhythmias and may link mental stress to sudden cardiac
arrest, U.S. researchers said.
"It's an important study because we are beginning to understand how anger and
other types of mental stress can trigger potentially lethal ventricular
arrhythmias, especially among patients with structural heart abnormalities," Dr.
Rachel Lampert of the Yale University School of Medicine in New Haven, Conn.,
said in a statement.
Researchers studied 62 patients with implantable cardioverter-defibrillators who
underwent monitoring during a mental stress test. Patients who had coronary
artery disease or dilated cardiomyopathy -- a condition in which the heart
muscles are enlarged -- and a standard indication for implantable
cardioverter-defibrillators were recruited from the Yale Electrophysiology
practice.
The mental stress test asked patients to recall a recent situation in which they
were angry or aggravated. Patients were tracked for a mean of 37 months.
"In this study, we found patients with higher levels of anger-induced TWA were
more likely to experience arrhythmias requiring implantable
cardioverter-defibrillator termination," Lampert said.
The study, published in the March issue of the Journal of the American College
of Cardiology, said despite factoring for clinical factors that predispose
patients to higher anger-induced T-wave alternans -- a measure of the heart's
electrical stability -- remained a significant predictor of arrhythmias, which
led to a heightened risk of up to 10 times that of other patients.
Ninety-five percent of people who have sudden cardiac arrest die from it -- most
within minutes.
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