Emotional stress is more likely to physically impact younger women with heart disease compared to men with heart disease and seniors of both genders, new research shows.
The study included 534 patients with stable coronary heart disease who were given a mental stress test that involved recalling a stressful life event and talking about it to a small audience.
During the test, nuclear imaging showed that women aged 55 and younger had a reduction in blood flow to the heart that was three times greater than men of the same age, and women aged 56 to 64 had coronary blood flow reduction twice that of men the same age.
There was no difference in coronary blood flow among women and men aged 65 and older during periods of emotional stress, according to the findings, which were to be presented Sunday at the American Heart Association annual meeting in Chicago.
The group was also given a physical stress test, in which women and men of all ages showed no differences in blood flow to the heart.
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