Helping people with heart disease to manage stress massively reduces their risk of having a new attack, according to a new analysis.
Swedish researchers found a course of cognitive behavioural therapy cut a patient’s chances of having a fatal heart attack or another heart incident by as much as 41 per cent.
The research at Uppsala University Hospital was reported in the Archives of Internal Medicine last night.
Led by Dr Mats Gulliksson, the researchers studied some 362 patients.
Experts said the findings indicated the harmful impact of stress on patients with heart disease.
Cognitive behavioural therapy is a special technique, which teaches patients how to handle psychological problems.
Cathy Ross, a cardiac nurse of the British Heart Foundation, said patients might find other "coping strategies" as well as the therapy.
She said: "We have known for some time that stress can play a part in increasing the risk of getting coronary heart disease although how and why this happens is not clearly understood.
"This study shows that for people who already have heart disease, acknowledging and learning to deal with the stressors in their life through cognitive behavioural therapy courses can reduce their risk of a further event."
She added: "Cognitive behavioural therapy is one way of learning coping strategies but there are many other ways. We should all try to recognise the triggers in our lives that can lead to unhealthy ways of coping with stress and an increased risk of having a heart attack."
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