DIAGNOSISThe Heart Attack Test
Are you at risk of suffering a heart attack? A new test may let you
know before the trouble hits.
The traditional way of determining a person's heart attack risk has
been to have the individual run on a treadmill while measuring his or her
cardiac response. Those who display ischemia, or a shortage of blood and
oxygen to the heart muscles, may be in danger of attack.
But low oxygen isn't the only harbinger of cardiac trouble. "We've
known for some time that stress plays a significant role in heart
disease," says Mark Ketterer, Ph.D., a cardiologist at Henry Ford
Hospital in Detroit. His recent research, published in the journal Health
Psychology, suggests that a simple stress test can more accurately
identify people who are predisposed to heart problems.
Ketterer asked 184 subjects with coronary artery disease to take
the treadmill test, then had them undergo two five-minute stress tests.
The first was a computer game designed to gauge performance anxiety; the
second measured anger and frustration while subjects acted out a
confrontation. In the two tests combined, 10% of those who didn't become
ischemic during the treadmill session showed a blood oxygen shortage,
indicating that the stress tests might be more accurate. Furthermore,
subjects with ischemia showed more anger and irritability than other
participants, suggesting that these emotions are another marker of
impending heart attack. "This study documents the mind-body effect by
suggesting that stress can provoke heart attacks by causing ischemia,"
says Ketterer.
Doctors don't even have to use Ketterer's experimental tests, he
says; they can use a simple survey to gauge stress level, in addition to
asking for input from a partner or family members. Patients who score
high on anxiety tests should seek stress management classes or other
forms of therapy that can help nip heart problems in the bud.
--Angela Pirisi
ALCOHOL
Women Who Booze, Lose
The downsides of alcoholism are well-chronicled: liver damage, job
and marital problems, depression. Now comes word that women who abuse
booze may be the biggest victims of all.
Larry Gentilello, M.D., a professor at the University of Washington
School of Medicine, studied incoming trauma patients and found that
female drinkers were far more likely than males to suffer liver disease,
depression and recent physical or emotional abuse, even at equivalent
blood alcohol concentrations. The physical findings corroborate other
studies that suggest women metabolize alcohol differently from men, says
Gentilello. "No one really knows why, but the latest research focuses on
estrogen as a possible factor."
Why female alcoholics suffer more depression is less clean There
may be an untapped physiological cause, Gentilello says in the Journal of
Trauma. But social factors clearly play a role, too. Women in the study
were far more likely than men to be unmarried, to have dysfunctional
relationships and to lack the support of friends and family. Females were
also six times more likely to ,report recent physical or sexual abuse,
and twice as likely to say they'd suffered emotional abuse--a perfect
setup for problem drinking.
The bottom line: The nature of alcoholism may be different for men
and women. Says Gentilello: "One intervention approach isn't likely to
work for both genders."
--Peter Rebhahn
SMOKING
No More Excuses
Young women are twice as likely as young men to believe that
smoking helps hem stay slim, statistics show. And they're often afraid to
quit out of concern that they'll relapse and start up again once they
begin to gain weight. But new research published in the Journal of
Consulting and Clinical Psychology suggests that there's nothing to fear.
Russell Glasgow, Ph.D., senior scientist at the AMC Cancer Research
Center in Denver, Colorado, monitored 506 women in their 20s who were
trying to kick the habit. Their concerns about weight gain had virtually
no effect on how successful they were at ultimately quitting smoking or
how much weight they actually did gain--giving girls one less excuse to
stay hooked.
--Amanda Druckman
Tags:
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