DO AS the song says: "Don't worry and be happy" if you're at risk of having a stroke. According to a new study, anger and other negative emotions that cause people to blow a fuse, may trigger a stroke. Exposure to a potential trigger could increase the risk of stroke by as much as 14 times during the two-hour period immediately following exposure. Change in body position increased the risk of stroke by 24 times.
"These findings may help us understand how these triggers result in stroke," said study author Dr. Silvia Koton, of Tel Aviv University and the Israel Centre for Disease Control.
The study found that people who have had a stroke are more likely to experience anger or negative emotions in the two hours prior to their stroke than at the same time the day before the stroke. They were also more likely to have reacted quickly to a startling event, such as getting out of bed suddenly after hearing a grandchild fall and cry.
The study involved 200 participants with an average age of 68 years who had been admitted to hospital for a stroke or a mini-stroke. They were interviewed one to four days following their strokes.
Approximately 30% of the participants said they were angry, or experienced negative emotions or sudden changes in their body position two hours before their stroke.
The study is published in the journal Neurology.