Serum lipid concentrations, hostility, and cardiovascular reactions to mental stress

The objective of the present study was to determine whether serum lipid concentrations interact with hostility to affect cardiovascular responses to mental stress. One-hundred and seventy-four male subjects were screened with the Cook and Medley hostility scale (Ho), the anger expression inventory by Spielberger and a general health questionnaire. Subjects in the upper (n = 22) and lower (n = 22) quartile of the Ho score distribution were asked to take part in a laboratory experiment. Continuous measures of heart rate, blood pressure, respiration and electrodermal activity were taken while participants carried out a series of behavioral maneuvres, including mental arithmetic and mirror star tracing. Prior to the experiment fasting blood samples were taken for lipid determinations. The results show higher heart rate reactivity in high hostile than low hostile subjects. High hostile subjects also reported more anger and frustration in response to tasks. Hostility groups differed in lipid levels in that high hostiles had higher triglyceride and VLDL-c concentrations than low hostiles. Cholesterol levels showed an inverse association with cardiovascular reactivity but only in low hostile subjects. No such associations could be found in high hostiles. We conclude that there is partial support for both, the hyperreactivity and the health behavior model linking hostility and cardiovascular disorder.