Anger Predicts Coronary Heart Disease?

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Anger Predicts Coronary Heart Disease?

"Trait" anger is defined by the authors of the present study as "a relatively stable personality trait that is manifested in the frequency, intensity and duration of the anger experience." Based on this definition, individuals with high trait anger are prone to instances of rage and/or fury more often than those with low trait anger.

In this study, the authors evaluated whether individuals with high trait anger, thus possessing a propensity toward anger and long-term exposure to its adverse ramifications, might be particularly susceptible to coronary artery disease (CHD). The study group comprised 12,986 African-American and Caucasian men and women (45-64 years old at baseline) enrolled in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) study. Participants completed the Speilberger Trait Anger Scale, providing data on relative anger/rage; clinical examinations at baseline and followup assessed the presence of CHD and associated coronary conditions.

Results: High trait anger was associated with an increased risk of combined CHD (acute myocardial infarction / fatal CHD, silent myocardial infarction and other "hard" coronary events (e.g., acute MI / fatal CHD). The investigators observed three times the CHD risk among individuals with the greatest difficulty controlling their anger compared with those with the least difficulty. No association was noted when examining hypertensive individuals.

These results were maintained when considering biological risk factors for CHD, suggesting that "proneness to anger places normotensive middle-aged men and women at significant risk for CHD..."

Williams JE, Paton CC, Siegler IC, et al. Anger proneness predicts coronary heart disease risk: prospective analysis from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study. Circulation 2000:101, pp2034-39.