Anxiety and tension can prove fatal, research shows

• Tension increases a man's risk of heart disease, heart rhythm abnormalities and death from any cause, while women who report a high degree of anxiety are at greater risk of death, a new study shows.
• In fact, Dr. Elaine D. Eaker of Eaker Epidemiology Enterprises in Chili, Wisconsin and colleagues note, tension increases men's death risk to the same degree that high blood pressure does.
• "The implication is you need to take care of the tension in addition to taking care of your cholesterol and your diabetes," Eaker told Reuters Health.
• Eaker and her team looked at 3,682 men and women participating in the Framingham Offspring Study, whose average age was 48.5 years, and followed them for 10 years.
• Men who reported higher-than-average levels of tension were 25% more likely to develop heart disease over the next 10 years, while their overall risk of death was 23% greater.
• They were also 24% more likely to develop atrial fibrillation (AF), a type of abnormal heart rhythm that can lead to stroke and death.
• For comparison, men with higher-than-average blood pressure face a 23% increased 10-year risk of death.
• A number of studies have linked heart disease to psychological factors, she added, but this is the first that was able to control for other risk factors for heart disease, such as cigarette smoking and being overweight, and the first to investigate tension.
• Past studies have also been limited because they have relied on chest pain and other "soft" endpoints, which don't necessarily indicate heart disease, she added; however, this study used "hard," unambiguous endpoints like heart disease, atrial fibrillation and death.
• People who are concerned about their feelings of tension and anxiety should see a health care provider, who can tell them if seeking counseling might be appropriate, Eaker said.