Proximity elections This makes not only politicians but also voters very nervous. After all, our future, in a sense, is in their hands. Some people take this nervousness quite philosophically, but others may experience the effects physically. As much as suffering acute cardiovascular disease.
This is the conclusion of the investigation, which was presented in 2024 at annual scientific session of the American College of Cardiology. Its authors analyzed DNA 18,500 people and they concluded that there are certain genes that make our hearts more likely to suffer from stressful events such as elections.
In fact, the US presidential election was one of the events included in the study. Additionally, reactions to major American sports championships such as NBA or Super Bowl. Cases of heart attacks have been observed even in the days after Christmas. These are all very busy dates that some people need to take care of themselves even more than the rest of the year.
The most difficult elections
To conduct the study, its authors took data from Mass General Bingham Biobank. It is a data bank to which thousands of people voluntarily provide information about their health, as well as samples for analysis. Specifically, they focused on blood samples from 18,500 people whose DNA was analyzed and monitored for 20 years. between 2000 and 2020. By analyzing the DNA, they focused on specific genes associated with stress. First of all, they assessed the score of what is known as polygenic risk of neuroticism.
It refers to a group of genes that are associated with an increased risk of developing neurotic traits. Although this term usually has a very derogatory connotation, it actually simply refers to people with an overreactive nervous system that reacts very strongly to external stimuli. To put it in a more colloquial and non-specific manner, some events, such as elections or sports championships, are taken very personally.
During the study period, there were 1,890 people in the group who experienced one type or another. acute coronary syndrome, which includes various types of heart attack, due to the inability of oxygen to adequately reach the heart muscle. All that remained was to check whether these attacks occurred during periods considered the most tense. And the truth is, yes.
People with a polygenic risk score for neuroticism above average had 34% more likely to have a heart attack in one of the mentioned stressful situations. The median in statistics is the value that is in the center of the data if they are all grouped in order. Thus, those above this baseline score were at significant risk.
Tips to Prevent a Heart Attack
It was also found that these people are more likely to suffer anxiety and depression. This adds even more risk, since anxiety in stressful situations can increase the likelihood of a heart attack. In fact, those who had these symptoms were at risk of acute coronary syndrome. 3.2 times more than the rest.
Knowing this data is very important because you know which people should take special care of themselves in stressful times. For example, now that the European elections are approaching, patients most prone to this type of condition may resort to relaxation techniques to avoid overwhelming anxiety that could become dangerous.
It would be great if the election period were a quiet time, but unfortunately political tensions make things very difficult. Let’s try not to let our nerves get shaken until dangerous levels.
Source: Hiper Textual
