Dwelling On Fights May Hurt Heart

Study: Blood Pressure Rises When Recalling Emotional Event

Still mulling over last night's argument? Get over it -- or it could affect your heart, according to a new study.

Just thinking about a past fight appears to lead to high blood pressure and later health problems, according to a team led by researchers from the University of California at Irvine.

Compare arguing to running a marathon. Both tasks raise blood pressure and cause some stress on the body.

But arguments have an emotional side that creates longer recovery times in the body than nonemotional -- yet stressful -- events like running. The study appears in the September/October issue of Psychosomatic Medicine.

The researchers studied 72 students at the University of California, San Diego. They found that when students were asked to remember emotionally driven experiences, their blood pressure rose and stayed high. Thinking back to physical tasks did not have the same effect.

"Preventing the damaging effects of stress may involve not only reducing exposure to stressors, but also reducing opportunities to ruminate over past stress," said Laura Glynn, assistant professor of psychiatry at the Irvine campus.

High blood pressure affects at least 20 percent of all Americans. Chronically high blood pressure, a condition known as hypertension, can lead to heart attacks, atherosclerosis, strokes and kidney failure.

Chronic stress is considered an important factor in elevating blood pressure. While many researchers have looked at the role played by relentless chronic stress, such as a demanding job or unstable home life, relatively few studies have focused on the lingering effects of even a single, emotion-laden stressful event.

"Our study indicates that certain people may be at increased risk for developing heart disease, based at least partly on how they respond to stress," Glynn said.

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