HOSTILITY IN ASYMPTOMATIC MEN WITH ANGIOGRAPHICALLY CONFIRMED CORONARY-ARTERY DISEASE

The association of hostility and coronary artery disease was evaluated in a case-control study of aircrew members who had been referred for coronary angiography on the basis of noninvasive tests or risk factor status. The asymptomatic status of the sample and the structured nature of the referral process minimize the methodologic problems normally associated with studies of patients undergoing angiography. Cases (n = 24) had some angiographic evidence of coronary artery disease, whereas controls (n = 25) were found to have no evidence of occlusion. An interaction was observed between smoking history and a measurement of hostility based on observations of the respondent's behavior during a standard interview. Among nonsmokers, cases had higher hostility scores than did controls (p = 0.004). This association was not present among smokers. Self-reported hostility did not discriminate cases from controls. These findings support the notion that hostility plays a role in the pathogenesis of coronary atherosclerosis and point to the potential importance of interactions between hostility and other risk factors.