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Past scientific studies have shown that stress and anxiety can influence blood coagulation or clotting. However, these were based almost entirely on questionnaire surveys of healthy folks. Thanks to a more rigorous German study we now have firmer proof that anxiety, especially intense fear or panic attacks, can literally cause blood to form clots thus raising the risk of thrombosis or a heart attack.

Everyone wrestles with anxiety from time to time, but for some people fear becomes quite pronounced and is provoked by normal everyday situations. For example, sufferers of agoraphobia frequently experience panic attacks in crowds.

The symptoms of panic attacks or “high anxiety” can be both dramatic and menacing to the sufferer: Heart palpitations, sweating, shaking, overwhelming or blind panic or even fainting – sometimes culminating in death. And while not as dramatic, social phobia can cause sufferers grief and anxiety. This most often occurs when the social phobic becomes the center of attention in a group setting, resulting in their stuttering or stammering and blushing. Many so afflicted chose to avoid settings that might lead to their being embarrassed, by becoming recluses.

As part of the aforementioned study, the Bonn-based researchers compared patients who suffer from a severe form of panic disorder or a social phobia with a healthy control group. Thirty-one (31) patients with anxiety disorders were matched with a corresponding healthy patient of the same age and sex, thus helping rule out as far as possible the influences of these factors. They then gave blood samples and had to perform a number of challenging tests using a computer. A second blood sample was then taken. The blood analysis, which measured various coagulation factors, told the tale: The group of anxiety-ridden patients had a much more highly activated coagulation system than the control group.

In the human coagulation system two mechanisms operate that are indispensable to life, both of which normally work in opposite directions, thus counterbalancing each other. On the one hand, coagulation brings about the thickening of blood so that a clot or plug can form and thus prevent excessive bleeding from damaged blood vessels. On the other hand, fibrinolysis or “clot busting” keeps blood fluid and breaks down clots. In the case of the anxiety-disorder plagued patients, however, the researchers observed an activation of coagulation accompanied by inhibition of fibrinolysis. Yet, apart from a skin prick for blood sampling, no real injury took place. For these types of patients, the coagulation system goes out of kilter or balance as the coagulation tendency rises – which can have dangerous consequences. In extreme cases this imbalance can lead to blockage of a coronary artery.

This increased coagulation tendency makes explicable the fact that people with anxiety disorders have a statistically higher risk of dying from heart disease by a factor of 3 or 4. "

 There is good news for persons whose lives are filled with “high anxiety”: A follow-up study has produced the first evidence ever that coagulation activation subsides in patients who have completed successful therapy for their condition.

Readers interested in learning about some natural clot-prevention measures should check out:

Artery Blocking Clots - Natural Ways to Prevent Clots

Arterial Blockage - Managing Triglycerides to Lower Your Risk

Blood Viscosity, A Major Player in Heart Disease

Heart Disease More Likely in Low-carb than Low-fat

Longevity Living Longer and Healthier

Reference: University of Bonn (2008, March 25). Anxiety Linked To Blood Clots: Fear That Freezes The Blood In Your Veins. ScienceDaily. Retrieved March 25, 2008, from http://www.sciencedaily.com­ /releases/2008/03/080325111800.htm