A SURVEY which examined personality characteristics in those prone to heart attacks has found a significant difference between the attitudes of cardiac patients and those who were in hospital for general medical conditions.
Cardiac patients were found to have a short fuse, to suffer stress, they were "time urgent" and hard driven. Compared to general medical patients, they were "quite depressed" for up to three months after their time in hospital.
The Cork Heart Project was conducted jointly by Cork University Hospital and the psychology department of University College Cork. The average age of the cardiac patients was 56.
Ms Eleanor O'Leary, from the UCC psychology department, who carried out two studies in Cork over four years, said the traditional "type A personality" was not enough to identify those prone to heart attacks. As well as type A characteristics, including a need to lose weight and give up smoking, cardiac patients had negative emotions such as hostility and depression.
Dr Carl Thoresen of Stanford University, an expert on psychological intervention, said it was necessary to address those issues immediately. He said the "greatest danger" was the period up to six months after the heart attack.
"They are several times more likely to die or have another heart attack. The treatment that looks at your behaviour patterns, attitudes, whether you are smoking or have high cholesterol, should start straight away. It is necessary to look at the broad picture," he said.
The Cork University Hospital was the first in Ireland to take cardiac patients and treat their "psychological state" after they left hospital, Ms O'Leary said.
The Sisters of Mercy had provided the funds for the Cork Heart Project, she said, and it was carried out with the co operation of Dr William Fennell and Mr Tom Aherne of Cork University Hospital.