RAANANA, Israel, Sept. 24 (UPI) -- Israeli researchers have found evidence women with chronic fear of terror attacks may be more prone to heart disease than women without such worries.
Samuel Melamed of the National Institute of Occupational and Environmental Health said women with such fears have higher levels of a blood protein that measures low-grade inflammation and may lead to heart disease.
His study is summarized in the latest issue of the journal Psychosomatic Medicine.
The study compared fears of terror attacks with levels of the C-reactive protein, a strong predictor of atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases, in 1,153 healthy men and women.
Fear of terror nearly doubled the risk of high C-reactive protein levels among the women, the researchers concluded.
"This study demonstrates for the first time, in a sample of apparently healthy workers, that the psychological reaction of chronic fear of terror has a negative impact on health in women," Melamed said.
