Relationship anxiety tied to CVD risk

Anicka Slachta | | Cardiovascular Business | Heart Health

Anxiety about rejection and abandonment in close relationships could be a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, a study out of Concordia University has found.

CTV News reported Aug. 26 that feelings of loneliness and insecurity can take an immense toll on people’s physical health, with Jean-Phillippe Gouin and colleagues’ recent study finding people who reported those symptoms showed the greatest increase in C-reactive protein—a biomarker for systemic inflammation.

“Over the long run, these people are at greater risk for developing cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension, coronary artery disease or even stroke,” Gouin told CTV. “We know from epidemiological studies, people who are lonely tend to die earlier.”

For the study, fifty-eight new university students in Montreal completed a questionnaire designed to determine their “attachment style” and gave a blood sample to track their CRP. Samples were taken again two and five months after baseline.

Read more below:

Anxiety about your relationships can increase risk of cardiovascular disease

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Anicka Slachta

After graduating from Indiana University-Bloomington with a bachelor’s in journalism, Anicka joined TriMed’s Chicago team in 2017 covering cardiology. Close to her heart is long-form journalism, Pilot G-2 pens, dark chocolate and her dog Harper Lee.

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