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Ischemic heart disease in relation with the type of behavior and the emotional state
Insights
Cardiovascular health is linked to behavior and emotions. Type A behavior significantly increases ischemic heart disease risk, while anxiety and aggression correlate with hypertension.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Psychology
- Behavioral Science
Background:
- Cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of mortality worldwide.
- Behavioral patterns and emotional states are increasingly recognized as contributing factors to cardiovascular health.
- Understanding these links can inform preventative strategies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between cardiovascular status and psychological factors in a professional community.
- To identify specific behavioral and emotional traits associated with ischemic heart disease and its risk factors.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 550 professionals (280 men, 270 women, aged 20-64) underwent medical examinations for ischemic heart disease and risk factors (hypertension, smoking, overweight, hypercholesterolemia).
- Psychological assessments included state and trait anxiety, affectivity, and self-rated behavioral type (Type A vs. Type B).
Main Results:
- Ischemic heart disease was four times more prevalent in Type A individuals compared to Type B.
- Arterial hypertension was more common in anxious (1.6x) and aggressive (1.4x) subjects.
- Overweight individuals were more often non-depressive (2x) and adaptable (1.4x), and also Type B (1.3x).
- Anxious subjects smoked less (2x) than non-anxious individuals.
Conclusions:
- Psychological factors, including behavior type and emotional state, are significantly associated with ischemic heart disease and its risk factors.
- Type A behavior is a strong predictor of ischemic heart disease.
- Specific emotional states like anxiety and aggression are linked to hypertension, while adaptability and non-depressive states are associated with overweight.
Abstract:
The relationship between the cardiovascular state, on the one hand, and the type of behavior and emotional state on the other, was investigated in a professional type community of 550 subjects (280 men and 270 women) ranging in age from 20 to 64 years. The subjects were submitted to medical examination (clinical, electrocardiographic and biochemical) for the detection of ischemic heart disease and its risk factors (arterial hypertension, smoking, over weight, hypercholesterolemia) and concomitantly to a psychologic examination consisting of anxiety test as a state and as a trait, multiple affectivity test and the test of self-rating behavioral type, for the study of the emotional state and the type of behavior. The relation between the results of the two examinations showed that ischemic heart disease (irrespective of the form) and its risk factors are associated to various extents and in different manners to the psychologic factors. Thus, significantly, ischemic heart disease was proved four times more frequent in subjects with type A behavior than in those with type B; arterial hypertension was more frequent in anxious (1.6 times) and aggressive subjects (1.4 times); overweight was more often encountered in nondepressive (2 times) and adaptable subjects (1.4 times), and in subjects with type B (1.3 times); the anxious subjects were found to smoke less than the non-anxious ones (2 times).