WASHINGTON — How the heart handles anger seems to predict who’s at risk for a life-threatening irregular heartbeat.
Negative emotions such as hostility and depression have long been considered risks for developing heart disease. Research released Monday uncovered a telltale pattern in the EKGs of certain heart patients when they merely recall a maddening event — an anger spike that foretold bad news.
In already vulnerable people, “anger causes electrical changes in the heart,” said Dr. Rachel Lampert, a Yale University cardiologist who led the work. When that happens even in the doctor’s office, “that means they’re more likely to have arrhythmias when they go out in real life.”
The report appeared in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
