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TUESDAY, Sept. 15, 2020 (HealthDay News)<\/p>\n
If you have experienced a heart attack<\/a> and you have an adversarial personality, new research suggests you might want to consider an attitude adjustment.<\/p>\n An angry outlook may make you vulnerable to a second heart<\/a> attack, the new study found.<\/p>\n The study included more than 2,300 heart attack<\/a> survivors, average age 67, who were followed for 24 months. Men accounted for 68% of the patients.<\/p>\n At the start of the study, the patients’ levels of hostility were assessed, and 57% were rated as hostile, according to the report published Sept. 15 in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing<\/a><\/i>.<\/p>\n “Hostility is a personality trait that includes being sarcastic, cynical, resentful, impatient or irritable,” said study author Dr. Tracey Vitori, from the University of Tennessee, in Knoxville.<\/p>\n “It’s not just a one-off occurrence, but characterizes how a person interacts with people. We know that taking control of lifestyle habits improves the outlook for heart<\/a> attack patients and our study suggests that improving hostile behaviors could also be a positive move,” Vitori said in a journal news release.<\/p>\n During the 24 months of follow-up, the researchers found that hostility was an independent predictor of dying from a second heart attack after adjusting for other factors such as sex, age, education, marital status, diabetes<\/a>, high blood pressure<\/a> and smoking<\/a>.<\/p>\n “Hostility has been linked with cardiovascular disease<\/a> since the 1950s, but we still don’t fully understand why. Our study shows that hostility is a common trait in heart attack survivors and is associated with poor outcomes. More research is needed on how this characteristic affects the body,” Vitori said.<\/p>\n Anxiety<\/a> and depression<\/a> are mental health<\/a> conditions typically evaluated in heart disease<\/a> patients, but adding an assessment of hostility may identify patients at risk for premature death, the study authors noted.<\/p>\n The researchers also suggested that educating heart patients on the potential dangers of hostility could motivate them to make behavioral changes.<\/p>\n “There is much cardiac patients can do to take control of their own health. From a physical side — smoking cessation<\/a>, increase physical activity and eat a balanced diet<\/a>. Our study also indicates that managing hostile behaviors could be important,” Vitori said.<\/p>\n — Robert Preidt<\/p>\n![\"MedicalNews\"](\"https:\/\/images.medicinenet.com\/images\/HealthDay\/healthday.png\")
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