焦虑与血管病变有关
http://www.100md.com
2001年2月8日
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - The fact that anger and hostility put people at higher risk of heart disease and heart attack has been known for some time. Now it appears that anxiety may also accelerate the development of atherosclerosis in the carotid arteries, and may cause those vessels to become thicker as well.
Atherosclerosis is characterized by fatty deposits called plaque that form on the inner walls of arteries.
French researchers followed over 700 men and women aged 59 to 71 for up to 4 years. A questionnaire was administered to assess the study participants' anxiety levels. Ultrasound imaging was used to detect atherosclerosis and increased thickness in the each individual's carotids--the large arteries located in the neck.
Dr. Sabrina Paterniti of the Hopital de la Salpetriere in Paris and colleagues evaluated each participant over time. Anxiety level and carotid artery health was assessed, as well as the presence of coronary artery disease in the heart, smoking status, alcohol use, blood pressure and current medication use. The study results are published in the January issue of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.
The investigators found that men with sustained anxiety showed both a higher rate of development of atherosclerosis and increased blood vessel thickness when compared with men who were not anxious. Anxious women showed an increased blood vessel thickness only. ``There was no clear explanation for the different association between anxiety and plaque in men and women,'' the authors write.
Additional studies are indicated, the researchers conclude, to better understand the mechanisms involved in these findings. Paterniti and colleagues point out that anxiety may be a trait more amenable to change than other risk factors for artery disease.
SOURCE: Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology 2001;21:136-, http://www.100md.com
Atherosclerosis is characterized by fatty deposits called plaque that form on the inner walls of arteries.
French researchers followed over 700 men and women aged 59 to 71 for up to 4 years. A questionnaire was administered to assess the study participants' anxiety levels. Ultrasound imaging was used to detect atherosclerosis and increased thickness in the each individual's carotids--the large arteries located in the neck.
Dr. Sabrina Paterniti of the Hopital de la Salpetriere in Paris and colleagues evaluated each participant over time. Anxiety level and carotid artery health was assessed, as well as the presence of coronary artery disease in the heart, smoking status, alcohol use, blood pressure and current medication use. The study results are published in the January issue of Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology.
The investigators found that men with sustained anxiety showed both a higher rate of development of atherosclerosis and increased blood vessel thickness when compared with men who were not anxious. Anxious women showed an increased blood vessel thickness only. ``There was no clear explanation for the different association between anxiety and plaque in men and women,'' the authors write.
Additional studies are indicated, the researchers conclude, to better understand the mechanisms involved in these findings. Paterniti and colleagues point out that anxiety may be a trait more amenable to change than other risk factors for artery disease.
SOURCE: Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology 2001;21:136-, http://www.100md.com