Anxiety is a serious health concern affecting a large part of the American population. Now, new research indicates that health anxiety might increase the risk of heart disease.
In the United States, anxiety disorders are the most common mental illness, affecting 40 million adults, or 18 percent of the population.
Anxiety is a known risk factor for heart disease. Previous research indicates a connection between depression and anxiety and the risk of coronary heart disease.
A meta-analysis found that anxious people have a 48 percent higher risk of dying from a heart problem.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death among Americans, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), killing 365,000 people in 2014.
New research suggests that the consequences of health anxiety are also serious and the condition should be treated properly.
Health anxiety describes a patient's excessive worrying over having a serious illness, and seeking medical advice in the absence of a physical disease.
Patients with health anxiety misread physical symptoms as serious illnesses, and they often seek repeated medical help for the same issues. In its most intense form, health anxiety becomes hypochondria.
Source: MedNewsToday
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