Study: Stress and Extreme Tiredness Linked to Deadly Heart Disease

A study found that too much stress and exhaustion are associated with a fatal heart disorder known as atrial fibrillation (AFib), which causes irregular and fast heart rate. AFib can cause strokes and other heart diseases. Most patients with the disease experience chest pain, difficulty breathing, rapid heartbeat, and extreme tiredness. However, symptoms may not be present in some cases. The new study, which was published in the European Journal of Preventative Cardiology, looked into the relationship of AFib with anger, anti-depressant use, poor social support, and a condition called “vital exhaustion.” This condition involves feeling irritable, extremely fatigued, and demoralized. Dr. Parveen Garg, one of the study's authors, said that this is the first study to link exhaustion to AFib. The study’s researchers observed 11,445 participants without AFib at the beginning of the study. The participants were put through multiple tests over a span of 25 years. Results revealed that among all the factors that were examined, only high levels of vital exhaustion had a connection to AFib. According to Garg, the body’s response to stress and extreme exhaustion can cause physical damage to the heart tissue, which may possibly lead to AFib. A scientist who was not involved in the study said that the research of Garg and his team is just a preliminary investigation of the relationship between exhaustion and AFib. Despite discovering a link, the study was not able to confirm if vital exhaustion really causes AFib. However, Garg emphasized that extreme levels of stress and exhaustion can have an impact on people’s cardiovascular and mental health.