Physicians should expect to see elevated blood pressure among patients in response to this week's stock market swan dive, Houston's Methodist Hospital is warning:
Kevin Lisman, MD, an arrhythmia specialist, says that while it's hard to make a direct connection between market declines and heart trouble, he believes the association is "Very likely. People see their retirement funds falling." Heart arrhythmias are associated with high blood pressure and sustained psychological stress or fatigue.
The release also predicts (perhaps not surprisingly) that economic turmoil will drive Americans to stress eating and sleep issues.
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