HEALTH NEWS
WORDS: CHRISTINA MACDONALD. IMAGES: ISTOCKPHOTO.COM
WORRYING MAY CAUSE HEART DISEASE
Research has found that health anxiety may increase a person’s risk of heart disease. Those who worry about illness are 70% more likely to develop the condition than those who don’t, a Norwegian Hordaland study showed.
Over the course of 12 years, 7,052 people, born between the age of 1953 and 1957, were monitored and asked to answer questions about their lifestyle, health and education, and to have physical check-ups. Each person measured their anxiety levels using the Whiteley Index – a widely used test for hypochondria (health anxiety). It was found that twice as many people suffering from hypochondria had developed heart disease, compared to those without it. Ischemic heart disease had developed in approximately 6.1% of anxious people, compared with 3% of people who were not concerned about their health. Experts are encouraging people to try to avoid unnecessary worry and to speak to their doctor if they are suffering from health anxiety.