Source: Thailand Medical News Jan 14, 2020 4 years, 11 months, 1 week, 2 days, 16 minutes ago
Experiences of being fatigue, feeling excessively tired, devoid of energy, demoralised, and irritable? You may have
burnout, a syndrome associated with a potentially deadly
heart rhythm disturbance. That's the conclusion of a large study published today in the
European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, a journal of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).
Study author Dr. Parveen K. Garg of the University of Southern California in Los Angeles told
Thailand Medical News, "Vital exhaustion, commonly referred to as
burnout syndrome, is typically caused by prolonged and profound stress at work or home. It differs from depression, which is characterised by low mood, guilt, and poor self-esteem. The results of our study further establish the harm that can be caused in people who suffer from exhaustion that goes unchecked."
Currently,
atrial fibrillation is the most common form of
heart arrhythmia. It is estimated that 17 million people in Europe and 10 million people in the US will have this condition by next year, increasing their risk for heart attack, stroke, and death. Yet, what causes
atrial fibrillation is not fully understood.
It has been suggested that psychological distress is a risk factor for
atrial fibrillation, but previous studies showed mixed results. In addition, until now, the specific association between vital exhaustion and
atrial fibrillation had not been evaluated.
The medical researchers in this study surveyed more than 11,000 individuals for the presence of vital exhaustion, anger, antidepressant use, and poor social support. They then followed them over a period of nearly 25 years for the development of
atrial fibrillation.
Research participants with the highest levels of vital exhaustion or having
burnout symptoms were at a 20% higher risk of developing
atrial fibrillation over the course of follow-up compared to those with little to no evidence of vital exhaustion.
Although further study is needed to better understand the observed relationship, Dr. Garg noted that two mechanisms are likely at play. "Vital exhaustion is associated with increased inflammation and heightened activation of the body's physiologic stress response," he said. "When these two things are chronically triggered that can have serious and damaging effects on the heart tissue, which could then eventually lead to the development of this
arrhythmia."
There was no connections found between anger, antidepressant use, or poor social support and development of
atrial fibrillation. "The findings for anger and social support are consistent with prior research but two previous studies did find a significant association between antidepressant use and an increased risk of
atrial fibrillation. Clearly, more work still needs to be done," said Dr. Garg.
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Additional research is also needed to identify concrete actions for doctors to help patients with exhaustion, said Dr. Garg.
Dr Gard concluded, "It is already known that exhaustion increases one's risk for cardiovascular disease, including heart attack and stroke. We now report that it may also increase one's risk for developing
atrial fibrillation, a potentially serious
cardiac arrhythmia. The importance of avoiding exhaustion through careful attention to and management of personal stress levels as a way to help preserve overall cardiovascular health cannot be overstated."
Reference : Parveen K Garg et al, Associations of anger, vital exhaustion, anti-depressant use, and poor social ties with incident atrial fibrillation: The Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Study, European Journal of Preventive Cardiology (2020). DOI: 10.1177/2047487319897163 
