NEW YORK — Americans who said they became anxious and stressed after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks — some just from watching the collapse of the twin towers on TV — reported higher rates of heart disease up to three years later, researchers said.
While several studies have found high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder and anxiety in first responders or attack survivors, most of the nearly 2,000 people randomly selected for the study had no direct connection to 9/11.
The research showed that before Sept. 11, 2001, about 22 percent of the participants reported they had heart ailments. Three years after the attacks, about 31 percent of them said they had developed heart problems.
People who said they were acutely stressed by the attacks were more than twice as likely to have high blood pressure one year after the attacks, and more than three times as likely to have heart problems two years after the attacks.
The findings document the physical consequences of stress, especially from watching upsetting events on television, the researchers said.
Steven Woloshin, a physician in White River Junction, Vt., said the findings were problematic because people may exaggerate their medical problems. Also, he said the study’s participants are more likely to develop heart problems as they age.
