Grumpy old men - Lifelines - greater anger in older men increase the risk of heart attack

Vibrant Life, Nov-Dec, 2001

A seven-year study at Harvard University shows that older men with high anger scores on a personality test have about a three-times-higher risk of heart disease than men with lower anger scores. Anger remained associated with heart disease even after adjusting for smoking, drinking, being overweight, and other factors. Scientists speculate that anger releases stress hormones into the bloodstream, increases oxygen demand by heart muscle cells, and increases stickiness of blood platelets, leading to blood clots that initiate heart attacks.

(American Heart Association)