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Anxiety Disorders and Cardiovascular Disease

  • Anxiety Disorders (A Pelissolo, Section Editor)
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Abstract

Anxiety and its associated disorders are common in patients with cardiovascular disease and may significantly influence cardiac health. Anxiety disorders are associated with the onset and progression of cardiac disease, and in many instances have been linked to adverse cardiovascular outcomes, including mortality. Both physiologic (autonomic dysfunction, inflammation, endothelial dysfunction, changes in platelet aggregation) and health behavior mechanisms may help to explain the relationships between anxiety disorders and cardiovascular disease. Given the associations between anxiety disorders and poor cardiac health, the timely and accurate identification and treatment of these conditions is of the utmost importance. Fortunately, pharmacologic and psychotherapeutic interventions for the management of anxiety disorders are generally safe and effective. Further study is needed to determine whether interventions to treat anxiety disorders ultimately impact both psychiatric and cardiovascular health.

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Acknowledgments

Time for article preparation was funded by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute through grant K23HL123607 (to Dr. Celano) and R01HL113272 (to Dr. Huffman). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health or other funders.

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  1. Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA

    Christopher M. Celano, Daniel J. Daunis, Hermioni N. Lokko, Kirsti A. Campbell & Jeff C. Huffman

  2. Department of Psychiatry, Massachusetts General Hospital, Blake 11, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA, 02114, USA

    Christopher M. Celano, Daniel J. Daunis, Kirsti A. Campbell & Jeff C. Huffman

  3. Department of Psychiatry, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA, USA

    Hermioni N. Lokko

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Daniel J. Daunis, Hermioni N. Lokko, and Kirsti A. Campbell declare that they have no conflict of interest. Christopher M. Celano reports grant funding (grant #K23HL123607) from National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute to allow for time for article preparation. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not represent the official view of the National Institutes of Health. Jeff C. Huffman declares that time for article preparation was funded by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute through grant K23HL123607 (to Dr. Celano) and R01HL113272 (to Dr. Huffman). The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health or other funders.

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Celano, C.M., Daunis, D.J., Lokko, H.N. et al. Anxiety Disorders and Cardiovascular Disease. Curr Psychiatry Rep 18, 101 (2016). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11920-016-0739-5

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