You’ve heard the phrase, “Stress can kill you.” For stroke patients, new research shows that it’s literally true.
Researchers from the University College in London are reporting findings of a new study that found psychological distress was associated with a significantly higher risk of death from stroke.
The study, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, tracked the health records of nearly 69,000 British stroke patients and found those with anxiety, depression, sleeping problems and other stress-related factors had an increased risk of death.
"Psychological distress was associated with death from cardiovascular disease, and the relation remained consistent for specific disease outcomes, including ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease," said lead researcher Dr. Mark Hamer.
To reach their conclusions, researchers tracked the health of the study participants for an eight-year period, during which they also surveyed them to gauge their levels of psychological distress.
Such stresses are common in up to 20 of the general population, researchers noted. They also urged clinicians to use questionnaires as screening tools for common mental illnesses to help reduce risk factors for death from cardiovascular disease.