Terrorist Attacks Associated With Heart Problems In Individuals Who Experienced Severe Stress

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Main Category: Cardiovascular / Cardiology
Also Included In: Anxiety / Stress;  Hypertension;  Psychology / Psychiatry
Article Date: 10 Jan 2008 - 11:00 PDT

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A person who experienced severe stress-related symptoms straight after the September 11 terrorist attacks in the USA has a higher risk of being diagnosed with heart/cardiovascular problems during the subsequent three years, says an article in Archives of General Psychiatry (JAMA/Archives).

The researchers explain "Extremely stressful events may precipitate biological processes that increase one's risk of developing cardiovascular ailments. While acute stress may trigger immediate potentially lethal cardiovascular responses, acute, subacute and chronic stress can gradually increase cardiovascular risk through neurohormonal arousal. This physiologic reactivity may be easily rekindled by trauma reminders, leaving individuals vulnerable to the detrimental effects of arousal over time."

E. Alison Holman, F.N.P., Ph.D., University of California, Irvine, and team looked at 2,729 adults, of whom 2,592 (95%) had completed an online health assessment prior to 9/11. Approximately 9-14 days after the attacks they took part in a web-based survey which asked them about their acute stress responses, such as anxiety, feelings of detachment from the world and/or themselves (dissociative symptoms), or re-experiencing the incident. They were all re-surveyed each year for the next three years.

Three years after the attacks, the participants who had been diagnosed with a heart ailment rose to 30.5% from 21.5%. The researchers write "Acute stress responses to the 9/11 attacks were associated with a 53 percent increased incidence of cardiovascular ailments over the three subsequent years, even after adjusting for pre-9/11 cardiovascular and mental health status, degree of exposure to the attacks, cardiovascular risk factors (i.e. smoking, body mass index and number of endocrine ailments), total number of physical health ailments, somatization (the conversion of psychological symptoms into physical symptoms) and demographics".

Those who had reported high levels of acute stress straight after the attacks seemed to have double the risk of being diagnosed with high blood pressure (hypertension) and three times the chances of reporting a diagnosis of heart problems during the 36 months after the attacks. The researchers write "Among individuals reporting ongoing worry about terrorism post-9/11, high 9/11-related acute stress symptoms predicted increased risk of physician-diagnosed heart problems two to three years following the attacks,"

The researchers concluded that acute stress reactions may be predictors of subsequent serious health problems.

"Terrorism, Acute Stress, and Cardiovascular Health. A 3-Year National Study Following the September 11th Attacks"
E. Alison Holman, FNP, PhD; Roxane Cohen Silver, PhD; Michael Poulin, PhD; Judith Andersen, PhD; Virginia Gil-Rivas, PhD; Daniel N. McIntosh, PhD
Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2008;65(1):73-80.
Click here to view abstract online

Written by - Christian Nordqvist
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