Anxiety, Depression, Hostility: Cardiovascular Antagonists?

The authors of a new study in the Archives of General Psychiatry evaluated the effect of some negative emotions on the development of subclinical atherosclerosis. At baseline, a cohort of 324 healthy, older people from the general community answered questionnaires to assess depression symptoms, anxiety, hostility, and anger, and completed follow-up data. Regression analyses indicated that higher depressive symptoms at baseline were associated with a greater 3-year change in carotid intima-media thickness even after adjusting for cardiovascular risk factors, medication use, and other negative emotions. Anxiety, hostility, and anger expression were not associated with intima-media thickness change. http://archpsyc.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/64/2/225

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