Tuesday, November 16, 2004

DRIVE TIME

Stop-and-go traffic may elevate risk of heart attack for some

By Mike Leidemann

Speed kills. Then again, so does congestion.

According to several recent studies, constant stop-and-go traffic may be every bit as dangerous as racing along the highway.

One survey found that 54 percent of American commuters experience elevated stress during their travel to work — stress that can heighten the risk of a heart attack.

Survey respondents reported that traffic — what else? — was the No. 1 cause of their stress. Other reasons cited were "getting a late start" (47 percent), anger at other commuters (46 percent) and bad weather (35 percent).

What's most alarming, researchers said, is that many of the respondents reporting the most stress knew they have high blood pressure or didn't know their blood pressure status.

Scientists say stress-related high blood pressure is one of the leading causes of heart attacks. In fact, one other study found that the risk of heart attacks is 40 percent higher in the morning than any other time of the day, a fact that may or may not be related to rush hour.

And don't feel so smug if you're riding the bus.

It turns out stress levels are actually higher for mass-transit commuters. Two-thirds (67 percent) of commuters who took public transit in the morning reported feeling stressed, compared with only 52 percent of those who drive themselves.

The study also found that the longer your commute, the more likely you are to develop stress. Another big surprise, huh?

In the other study, researchers in Germany found that people prone to heart attacks faced triple their usual risk when stuck in traffic, whether they were in cars, on bicycles or on mass transit.

The researchers were especially surprised to find that the heart attacks often closely followed getting out of a car, often within an hour of being on congested roads.

The German scientists concluded that the extra risk probably came not so much from stress, but the extra pollutants that drivers breathe when stuck on slow-moving highways.

Interesting, but as we all know, the world is full of bad science these days.

What's most alarming, researchers said, is that many of the respondents reporting the most stress knew they have high blood pressure or didn't know their blood pressure status.

come again?

Maybe I am just easily confused.