Atherosclerosis, the build-up of plaques in the arteries that can lead to a heart attack, progresses more quickly in people who express a lot of anger and in those who have a weak social support system, new research suggests.

Previous studies have linked anger, hostility and a weak social support system to artery problems, but this is the first study to examine the effects of these psychological factors on the progression of atherosclerosis.

• Researchers followed 150 people with diseased arteries.

• At the start of the study and 2 years later, the participants underwent angiography to measure the extent of atherosclerosis.

• They also filled out questionnaires that measured their levels of social support, anger and hostility.

People who had reported high levels of expressed anger and low levels of social support were significantly more likely to have their atherosclerosis worsen during the study period

Journal of the American College of Cardiology November 15, 2000; 36: 1781-1788