Study : Stress Disorder May Increase The Risk Of Heart Disease

Prolonged stress disorder may increase the risk of heart disease, according to resarchers from the Harvard School of Public Health.

Anxiety disorder may be triggered by traumatic memories such as from military combat, from natural disasters, terrorist attacks, as well as from physical or sexual abuse. Symptoms of this anxiety disorder includes flashbacks, anger and difficulty of sleeping, emotional deadening, increased blood pressure, rapid heartbeat, and muscle tension.

The study published in the Archives of General Psychiatry analyzed data from the Veterans Administrative Normative Aging Study, a research project that examined the health of military veterans. Responses of male World War II and Korean War veterans showed that those with stronger post traumatic stress disorder symptoms suffered higher rates of coronary heart disease.

Laura Kubzansky, who analyzed the responses suggests that "prolonged stress and significant levels of PTSD symptoms may increase the risk of coronary heart disease in older male veterans."