Stressed Out Heart Attack Patients More Likely to Die

In a recent study of over 4,200 U.S. heart attack patients at St Luke's Mid America Heart Institute, researchers concluded that heart-attack victims who felt 'stressed out' were 42% more likely to die within the next two years than calmer patients. While many studies in the past have focused on the link between stress and developing heart problems, the new research was the first to focus on chronic stress and a patient's prognosis after a heart attack. While the patients were still in the hospital recovering, they answered a survey on how much stress they'd felt in their jobs and personal lives over the last month. Overall, people who reported the most stress were more likely to die in the next two years. However, it is still unclear whether stress is to blame for the gloomy prognosis, as the stressed patients were also more likely to experience other factors which contributed to poor cardiovascular health, such as poor diet, obesity, smoking and depression. The researchers concluded that patients concerned with the results try simple steps to relieve stress and promote heart health, like taking regular walks outside.