By KUNA
Washington : Reactions to extremely stressful events, such as terrorist attacks, can lead to greater risk of heart ailments, a new study shows.
For the study, scientists took a nation-wide sample of 2,729 adults following the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001. About nine to 14 days following the attacks, participants reported feeling anxiety, emotionally detached, or re-experiencing the event. About 21.5 percent of participants had been diagnosed with a heart ailment prior to the attacks, but three years later the number rose to 30.5 percent.
“Acute stress responses to the September 11th attacks were associated with 53 percent increased incidence of cardiovascular ailments over the three subsequent years, said lead author E. Alison Holman, of the University of California, Irvine, and colleagues.
Extremely stressful events may lead to biological processes that increase one’s risk of developing cardiovascular ailments, because acute, moderate and chronic stress can gradually increase cardiovascular risk by triggering stress hormones in the brain.
Scientists said this physiologic response may be easily rekindled by trauma reminders, leaving individuals vulnerable to the detrimental effects of arousal over time.
“These findings highlight the possibility that acute stress reactions may indicate subsequent vulnerability to potentially serious health problems,” they concluded.
The report was published in the January issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.