The Association Between Cardiovascular Disease and Type-A Behavior

Abstract

An analysis of data from a South African study yielded an association between Type-A behavior and the development of cardiovascular disease. The study, carried out in the first half of 1979, consisted of individuals from communities with a noted higher incidence in cardiovascular disease. Adding Type-A behavior as a risk predictor to a model predicting the development of cardiovascular disease resulted in an increase in the accuracy of the model. The known relationship between Type-A behavior and common traits of the personality type such as higher stress levels and lack of social interaction, could explain its association with cardiovascular disease and its contribution to an increase in the accuracy of a predictive model. Future work should be done to investigate Type-A behavior and its relationship with the intersection between biological and psychological functions, and determine whether it would be impactful enough to include as a risk factor for cardiovascular disease in clinical offices and medical examinations.