Stress Management Could Reduce Deaths And Disability From Heart Attack

Stress Management Could Reduce
Deaths And Disability From Heart
Attack
A team at Duke University School
of Medicine studied a single DNA
letter change in the human
genome, which has been linked
to being more vulnerable to the
effects of stress.
From the research, they found
that heart patients with genetic
change had a 38 percent
increased risk of heart disease
after seven years of follow up
compared with those with no
genetic change.
The study adds to evidence that
stress may directly increase heart
disease risk. This also means that
stress management techniques
and drug therapies could reduce
deaths and disability from heart
attacks.
"This is one step towards the day
when we will be able to identify
people on the basis of this
genotype who are at higher risk
of developing heart disease in
the first place.
That's a step in the direction of
personalized medicine for
cardiovascular disease." -Says Dr.
Redford Williams, director of the
Behavioural Medicine Research
Center at Duke University School
of Medicine.
About 600 men and women in
the group of 6000 heart patients
that are studied had the genetic
change associated with bad
handling of emotional stress.
Therefore, if you always feel
anxious and worried about your
stress levels, try to make an
appointment and discuss it with
your doctor because identifying
people with the genetic change
can lead to early interventions for
heart patients who are at high
risk of dying or having a heart
attack.
According to Prof. Jeremy
Pearson, associate medical
director at the British Heart
Foundation, the study provided
further evidence that stress may
directly increase risk of heart
disease.
He said: "By finding a possible
mechanism behind this
relationship, these researchers
have suggested tackling the
problem either by changing
behavior or, if needed, with
existing medicines.
There are positive lifestyle
changes you can make to help
you cope with stress.
balanced diet and regular
physical activity will help you feel
better able to cope with life's
demands."