On the value of doing nothing: anger and cardiovascular disease in clinical practice

Type A behavior, anger, and hostility have all been described as psychosocial risk factors or potential risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). However, in the populations evaluated, the methods used to measure these traits and the endpoints used to determine outcomes have varied widely. The results of these studies have also been quite disparate. The present article reviews data from all the existing quantitative (meta-analytic) and qualitative systematic review articles that cover this topic, using the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects (DARE) criteria. We conclude that the existing data do not support a meaningful clinical relationship between current measurements of these traits and the development of CVD.