Angry Women Risk Heart Disease Problems

Middle-aged women prone to hiding their anger or who feel self-conscious in public are at increased risk of heart problems, researchers say.

Writing in the medical journal Psychosomatic Medicine, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine investigators say women need to pay more attention to how they deal with anger, based on a study of 200 healthy premenopausal women between the ages of 42 and 50.

Those with hostile attitudes and a high degree of self-awareness were found to be at risk of developing early markers of atherosclerosis or high blood pressure in later life, the researchers say. "A woman's style of dealing with negative feelings may have physical consequences," study authors write.

The study "provides compelling evidence that attitudes and style of expression have an effect" on women's cardiovascular health. Researchers suggest that for such individuals, "It may be best to express negative feelings in a constructive fashion rather than hold them in."