Don’t get angry! Recurrent rabies increases the risk of cardiovascular disease

From time to time, we all have episodes of anger. The natural feeling, however, can lead to chronic damage to blood vessels and open doors to cardiovascular problems, such as heart attack and stroke. A new study, published in scientific journal of the American Heart Association (AHA, its acronym in English), managed to prove for the first time the relationship between recurrent cases of rabies and the impairment of the ability to dilate blood vessels for up to 40 minutes after the explosive moment. The finding could be another way to protect the heart through interventions that leave people calmer.

The randomized and controlled trial involved the participation of 280 volunteers from 18 and 73 years old of New York City free from cardiovascular disease and also from risk factors for the condition. In other words, none of them smoked, took medication or had a history of hypertension or diabetes. They were not obese or diagnosed with mood disorders.

Scientists took measurements to check changes in blood flow in the vessels of each participant’s dominant arm. In a random distribution, groups were asked to recall uncomfortable feelings and one of them was responsible for dealing with a neutral emotional state.

Then, the anger and anxiety volunteers talked for eight minutes about experiences that caused these feelings. The sadness participants read aloud, for eight minutes, statements that evoked the emotion. And the control group, in turn, just counted numbers out loud for eight minutes. It was the neutral emotion team.

New measurements were taken 3, 40, 70 and 100 minutes after the tasks. Among those angry, the commitment to opening of blood vessels had a significant reduction in relation to the control group for up to 40 minutes after experiencing the negative memory, a change that subsequently diminished. No changes were noted among those who aroused anxiety and sadness.

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“If you are a person who is angry all the time, you are having chronic damage to your blood vessels,” said Daichi Shimbo, a cardiologist at Columbia University Irving Medical Center who led the study, in a statement. “It is these chronic injuries over time that can eventually cause irreversible effects on vascular health and eventually increase the risk of heart disease.”

Anger and the heart

Observational studies had already given clues that anger could be harmful to the heart. Previous research on the functioning of blood vessels indicates that when the dilation mechanism is affected, patients can develop atherosclerosis, the dangerous accumulation of fat in blood vessels associated with cardiovascular diseases.

According to Shimbo, more in-depth investigations still need to be carried out, but there are signs that the feeling of anger can trigger changes caused by stress hormones and an increase in arterial inflammation processes. The group plans to investigate these mechanisms.

“The study also opens the door to promoting anger management interventions as a way to potentially help prevent heart disease, the leading cause of death in this country,” said Laurie Friedman Donze, a psychologist at the National Institute of Heart, Lungs and Blood, the entity that financed the research.

How to control anger?

Given the results, the researchers’ recommendation is that people who get angry frequently seek methods to manage their anger. Exercises, like yogaand techniques for deep breath can help, as can the practice of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT).

So, here’s the guide: before the next attack of anger, take a deep breath, try to calm down and think about the health of your heart.