Framingham Type Research Articles

Association of Central serous chorioretinopathy with type of personality, anxiety and depression.

Central serous chorioretinopathy (CSCR) a relatively common cause of visual impairment, which is characterized by subretinal fluid accumulation in the macula and is more common in middle-aged males. Various risk factors have been reported in literature, among which substantial role of psychological factors is cited. Our aim was to look for the prevalence and association of the psychiatric factors in CSCR patients and to compare them with other non-chorioretinal ocular pathologies. A cross-sectional correlational study was undertaken involving 91 CSCR patients, along with 91 patients with other non-chorioretinal diseases. Their risk factors, clinical history, ocular examination, and psychiatric assessments were done using standardized tools, and the groups were compared in terms of scoring of Framingham Type A scale (FTAS), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS). CSCR patients had a male:female ratio of 8:1. Chronic, bilateral, and recurrent diseases were found in 15%, 20%, and 23% cases, respectively. Anxiety disorder had a prevalence of 40%, followed by major depression with a prevalence of 24%, and these were significantly higher than non-chorioretinal disease patients (odds ratios 14.18 and 5.30, respectively). Also, these psychiatric disorders were significantly associated with an overall lower visual acuity and greater central macular thickness due to subretinal fluid accumulation. Psychiatric comorbidities like Type A personality trait and depression and anxiety disorders were significantly more prevalent in CSCR patients, compared to non-chorioretinal pathologies. Focus on psychological health would certainly benefit these patients in terms of better management of not only CSCR, but their psychiatric morbidity as well.

Personality traits favourable for non-adherence to treatment in patients with chronic myeloid leukaemia: role of type A and D personality

BackgroundThe introduction of BCR-ABL tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) to chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) therapy has revolutionized the treatment of this disease. Although regular TKI intake is a prerequisite for successful therapy, it has been shown that a significant proportion of patients are non-compliant. Recently there is growing evidence that personality traits may influenced the tendency for non-adherence to treatment in patients with chronic diseases. As far as we know, such a relationship in patients with CML has not been examined, yet. The aim of our study was to determine if personality traits favor non-adherence to treatment recommendations. We investigated the relationship between five-factor model personality factors (conscientiousness, neuroticism, agreeableness, extraversion, and openness) and medication non-adherence. We also checked if the patients with type A and type D personality, were at higher risk of poor medication adherence.MethodsThe following tools were used: self-constructed survey, the NEO-Five Factor Inventory, the Framingham Type A Scale, the D-Scale 14. The study included 140 CML patients treated with imatinib, dasatinib, or nilotinib.Results39% of patients reported skipping at least one dose of medication in the month prior to follow-up visit. 51% admitted to skipping such doses from the start of their treatment to the time at which our assessment was performed. We did not find any relationship between the mean values of the analyzed factors of the Big Five (neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness) and adherence. However, our analysis revealed that CML patients who admitted to missing doses of drugs during the entire course of treatment demonstrated greater intensity of type A personality traits (p = 0.020). Regarding both factors of type D personality, it was revealed that higher level of negative affectivity significantly decreased the adherence (p = 0.020).ConclusionThe results of our study indicate that screening for type D and A personalities may help to identify patients who are at higher risk of poor medication adherence.

Personality Traits, Strategies of Coping with Stress and Psychophysical Wellbeing of Surgical and Non-Surgical Doctors in Poland.

The aim of the study was to determine the personality traits, strategies of coping with stress and psychophysical wellbeing of surgical and non-surgical Polish doctors. The study used the following questionnaires and scales: the Resiliency Assessment Scale, the Type D Personality Scale, the Framingham Type A Scale, the Mini COPE—Coping Inventory and the Wellbeing Scale. Doctors performing surgical specialties were characterized by a significantly higher level of resilience components, a more frequent occurrence of the type B behaviour pattern and less frequent type D personality than doctors performing non-surgical specializations. The Mini COPE point values were comparable between surgical and non-surgical physicians. The sense of psychological wellbeing was higher in surgical specialists. The higher the values of the Optimistic approach to life and the ability to mobilize oneself in difficult situations, the lower the values of the Turning to religion domain and the higher the values of the Denial domain correlated with the performance of surgical specialization. Men performing surgical specializations were more often optimistic and inclined to consume alcohol, while women with non-surgical specialization more often coped with stress by turning to religion. We conclude that the personality traits of Polish doctors vary depending on their specialization. Physicians’ coping strategies do not differ depending on their specialization. The sense of mental wellbeing is higher in surgical specialists compared to non-surgical specialists. An optimistic approach to life and the ability to mobilize oneself in difficult situations, as well as coping with stress by denial are associated with the surgical specialization. Men performing surgical specialties more often declare optimism and a tendency to cope with stress by consuming alcohol or psychoactive substances, while women who perform non-surgical specializations more often cope with stress by turning to religion. Psychological screening tests and appropriate training, taking into account medical specialization, could be one way of improving resilience and coping with stress among doctors.

The Link Between Personal Factors and Workaholism: The Role of Remote Working During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The aim of the present study was to investigate the role of the way of doing work for the relationship between employees’ perfectionism, type A personality and workaholism during COVID-19 pandemic. A total of 668 Lithuanian employees participated in a study. The sample included employees who worked in the workplace (n = 331), as well as those who worked completely from home (n = 337). The levels of workaholism were measured using DUWAS-10 (Schaufeli et al., 2009). A multidimensional perfectionism scale (Hewitt et al., 1991) was used for the measurement of perfectionism. Type A personality was assessed with the help of the Framingham type A personality scale (Haynes et al., 1980). It was revealed in a study that the positive relationship between perfectionism and workaholism was stronger in the group of complete remote workers. It was further found that the moderating role of the way of doing work was not significant for the relationship between type A personality and workaholism. Overall, the findings support the idea that remote work is an important variable determining the development of health-damaging working behaviors among those employees who excel perfectionistic attributes. Therefore, the way of doing work must be considered when addressing the well-being of employees.

Monitorization of Autonomic Stress Response of Nurse Students in Hospital Clinical Simulation.

The aims of this study were to analyze the autonomic stress response of nurse degree students during a hospital clinical simulation and to analyze differences in the autonomic stress response of nurse degree students during a hospital clinical simulation depending on their psychological profile. We analyzed in 45 nurse students their psychological profile (purpose in life, coping flexibility, perceived stress, Framingham Type A Behavior, and personality) and the autonomic modulation by the heart rate variability in a hospital clinical simulation. Students presented decreased heart rate variability and different autonomic stress responses depending on the different psychological parameters evaluated. We concluded that a hospital clinical simulation produced a large sympathetic modulation of nurse students that was maintained during the entire clinical simulation. The autonomic response was modulated by the psychological profile of students, showing higher purpose in life, perceived stress, and neuroticism, presenting higher parasympathetic modulation.

Association between Satisfaction with Life and Personality Types A and D in Young Women with Acne Vulgaris.

People with acne vulgaris report a lower level of satisfaction with life and are more frequently classified as having Type D personalities than those without acne. This research examined, for the first time, the moderating and mediating role of personality type in the relationship between acne severity and satisfaction with life. Among 300 female nursing and cosmetology students ranging in age from 19 to 24 years (M = 21.28, SD = 1.39), 150 individuals (50%) presented with symptoms of acne vulgaris (AV group), while the other 150 (50%) were categorized as controls without acne vulgaris (WAV sample). A cross-sectional study was conducted using three self-report questionnaires: The Satisfaction with Life Scale (SWLS), the Framingham Type A Scale (FTAS), and the Type D Scale (DS14). Acne vulgaris was clinically diagnosed using the Hellgren–Vincent Scale (HVS). The AV group scored significantly higher on the FTAS and DS14 and lower on the SWLS than the WAV sample. Life satisfaction correlated negatively with both the negative affectivity (NA) and social inhibition (SI) subscales of the DS14. The moderating role of the Type A behavioral pattern (TABP) and the mediating role of both NA and SI subscales of the DS14 were observed in the relationship between acne severity and satisfaction with life. The type of personality may explain the mechanism of the relationship between acne disease and subjective well-being. Therefore, psychological interventions and strategies focused on managing stress and mood may effectively improve satisfaction with life in people with acne.

Perception vs pain and beliefs about pain control and Type A behavior pattern in patients with chronic ischemia of lower extremities or with rheumatoid arthritis.

ObjectiveThe study aimed at determining the experience of pain taking into consideration beliefs about pain control, Type A behavior pattern and sociodemographic factors in patients with chronic ischemia of the lower extremities or with rheumatoid arthritis (RA).MethodsThe study enrolled 100 patients with peripheral arterial disease (PAD) and 100 patients with RA. The subjective sensation of pain was assessed using the Visual Analog Scale (VAS); beliefs about pain control were analyzed using the Beliefs about Pain Control Questionnaire (BPCQ), taking into consideration internal factors, the influence of physicians and accidental events (chance); and Type A behavior features (haste and competition) were analyzed using the Framingham Type A Scale. The multiple regression model was used to assess associations between the experienced pain and the BPCQ value, the Framingham Type A Scale and sociodemographic factors.ResultsThe pain intensity degree was found to be comparable in patients with PAD and with RA. The median determined using the VAS was 5.75 in both of the studied groups. In patients with PAD, lower VAS values were associated with the BPCQ – internal factors (P<0.05) whereas a higher VAS value was related to the BPCQ – physicians’ influence (P<0.001). In patients with RA, a higher VAS value was associated with BPCQ – physicians’ influence (P<0.05), disease duration (P<0.05) and smoking cigarettes (P<0.05).ConclusionExperiencing pain by patients with chronic ischemia of the lower extremities occurs at a moderate level and is beneficially connected with the internal factors and adversely connected with the external factors of beliefs about pain control. Patients with RA reported pain ailments of a moderate level in connection with the adverse influence of the external factors of beliefs about pain control, the duration of the disease and smoking cigarettes. Experiencing pain by patients with chronic ischemia of the lower extremities and RA does not seem to be related to Type A behavior.

The Big Five, Type A Personality, and Psychological Well-Being

The aim of this research was to investigate how the Big Five and Type A personality variables relate to psychological well-being. Additionally, the study examined the effect of age on psychological well-being. Various social media sites such as Facebook were used to recruit 286 Participants (209 males, 74 females) from the community population. The sample was broad with an age range 18-85. Participants completed a demographic measure as well as the Ryff’s Psychological Well-being scale, the International Personality Item Pool- Big Five Scale, the Framingham Type A Behavior Scale and a Social Desirability Scale. Pearson’s product correlations and a hierarchical multiple regression were performed to determine the ability of the personality variables and Type A personality scores to predict psychological well-being. The results indicated that the personality variables (the Big Five) predicted psychological well-being but that the addition of variance from the Type A personality variable added insignificantly to the prediction. Psychological well-being was negatively correlated with age. Further studies on personality and psychological wellbeing are needed, including the role of mindfulness in contributing along with personality variables to psychological well-being.

Personality type influence the gestational weight gain

Pregnancy is frequently followed by the development of obesity. Aside from psychological factors, hormonal changes influence weight gain in pregnant women. We attempted to assess the potential association between personality type and the extent of gestational weight gain. The study group involved 773 women after term delivery (age 26.3 ± 3.9 years, body mass before pregnancy 61.2 ± 11.1 kg). Weight gain during pregnancy was calculated by using self-reported body mass prior to and during the 38th week of pregnancy. Personality type was assessed using the Polish version of the Framingham Type A Behavior Patterns Questionnaire (adapted by Juczynski). Two hundred forty-six (31.8%) study subjects represented type A personalities, 272 (35.2%) type B and 255 (33.0%) an indirect type. Gestational weight gain was related to the behavior patterns questionnaire score and age. In women <30 years with type A personality, the weight gain was higher than in women with type B behavior of the same age. In women >30, the gestational weight gain was larger for type B personalities. Type A personality and increased urgency in younger pregnant women increases the risk of developing obesity during pregnancy in women below 30 years old. A higher level of competitiveness demonstrates a risk factor of excessive weight gain during pregnancy regardless of age.

Hostility in firefighters: personality and mental health

Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to investigate the contribution of personality factors, especially hostility, as they related to traumatic stress and mental health symptoms in firefighters.Design/methodology/approach– A group of paid-professional firefighters (n=94) completed a questionnaire study that included a demographic questionnaire, the Impact of Event Scale-Revised, the NEO Five-Factor Inventory-Revised, the Framingham Type A Scale, and the Symptom Checklist-90. Multiple regressions were used to evaluate the relationship between neuroticism or lack of agreeableness with hostility, controlling for Type A, years of service and age. Subsequently, hostility was used to predict traumatic stress and mental health symptoms, controlling for Type A, years of service, age, neuroticism, and lack of agreeableness.Findings– Both neuroticism and lack of agreeableness were determined to be significant predictors of hostility. Further, hostility positively predicted somatization, obsessive-compulsive, interpersonal sensitivity, depression, anxiety, paranoid ideation, psychoticism, Global Severity Index, Positive Symptom Distress Index, and Positive Symptoms Total. Although not significant, trends that hostility also predicted traumatic stress and phobic anxiety were evident.Originality/value– To the knowledge, this is the first study to specifically investigate the impact of hostility on mental health of paid-professional firefighters. In addition, the findings suggest that interventions to screen for and subsequently reduce hostility in firefighters may be beneficial for overall mental health (e.g. anger management training, etc.).

Relationship on the Type A/B Personality, Attitudes and Behaviors to Oral Care in Intensive Care Unit Nurses

In this study, type A/B personality, attitude and behavior on oral care in intensive care unit nurses are investigated in which it is a descriptive investigation research attempted to provide basic data to prepare strategies to enhance attitude and behavior on oral care. 160 nurses working in intensive care units in 4 general hospitals located in D metropolitan city were selected as the research subjects and the period of data collection was from July 1 st to July 15 th 2014. Regarding the research tools, FTA (Framingham Type A Behavior Pattern) that Haynes et al. (1978) developed and adapted by Son Yeo Jin et al. (2001) was used to measure type A/B personality, the oral care attitude measuring tool developed by Kim Seuk Hee (2012) based on the health improvement model by Pender (1996) was used to measure attitude on oral care, and the behavior measuring tool based on oral care guidelines developed by Ahn Jin Hee (2006) was used to measure behavior about oral care. SPSS PC⁺20.0 for Windows program was used for analysis by real number, percentage, mean, standard deviation, t-test, ANOVA, Scheffe, and Pearson correlation coefficient. The research results are as follow. For the personality type of the research subjects, 79 subjects were in the type A group (49.4%), 81 subjects were in the type B group (50.6%), the attitude on oral care showed score of 2.83±0.27 points from a total of 4 points, and the behavior about oral care showed score of 2.81±0.29 points from a total of 4 points. Attitude on oral care by general characteristics in the subjects showed statistically significant difference according to age, marital status, education level, religion, total clinical career, clinical career in intensive care units, and position, behavior about oral care by general characteristics in the subjects showed statistically significant difference according to total clinical career and clinical career in intensive care units, and correlation between attitude and behavior on oral care showed statistically significant positive correlation between attitude and behavior on oral care. From the results above, attitude on oral care must be positively acquired to enhance behavior about oral care in nurses in intensive care units and benefits on oral care should be emphasized to reduce barriers and increase self-efficacy to make this possible

English

The aim of this research is investigating the role of personality types in predicting happiness, commitment and identity styles in university students in Islamic Azad University, Roudehen branch. The method of this research was correlational. With use of cluster random sampling one faculty between the faculties of university were chosen and 280 participants with simple random sampling attended to research and performed the inventories. Entrance criteria for participant include: undergraduate students in Educational courses, having psychological and physical health by self-report. The scales of this research were Framingham and burtner personality type’s inventory, oxford happiness inventory and bursensky identity styles inventory. The data were analyzed with Pearson correlation and multiple regression statistical methods. The results indicated B personality types can predict happiness and normative identity styles and a personality types can predict avoidant/diffusive identity styles.

Association between Type A/B Behavior Pattern and Alcohol Consumption in Undergraduate Students

The present preliminary study examines an association between Type A behavior pattern and alcohol drinking pattern in Polish undergraduate students. Recognition of all factors associated with binge drinking seem to be necessary for the preparation the suitable prevention program at university. The sample of 113 second-year university students took part in self-administered questionnaires: the Alcohol Drinking Scale and the Framingham Type A Scale. Women drank less beer and spirits than men. Contrary to expectation, Type A behavior pattern not correlated with alcohol consumption. However, male students who demonstrated low alcohol drinking pattern scored higher in the Framingham Type A Scale than others. The prevention program at the university should refer to men abstainers, as well as heavy drinkers.

Type A behavior pattern is not a predictor of premature mortality.

Type A personality was introduced in the 1950s and was defined as an action-emotion complex characterized by excessive competitive drive, intense striving for achievement, easily provoked hostility, aggressiveness, impatience, and exaggerated sense of time urgency. Despite many positive findings earlier, almost 50 years of studies have not yielded conclusive results regarding Type A as a risk factor for negative health outcomes and early death. This may partly be due to methodological weaknesses such as small and selected samples, short follow-up times, and varying ways to assess Type A across studies. We re-examined the association between the Type A concept with cardiovascular (CVD) and non-cardiovascular (non-CVD) mortality by using a long follow-up (on average 20.6 years) of a large population-based sample of elderly males (N = 2,682), by applying multiple Type A measures at baseline, and looking separately at early and later follow-up years. The study sample were the participants of the Kuopio Ischemic Heart Disease Risk Factor Study, (KIHD), which includes a randomly selected representative sample of Eastern Finnish men, aged 42-60 years at baseline in the 1980s. They were followed up until the end of 2011 through linkage with the National Death Registry. Four self-administered scales, Bortner Short Rating Scale, Framingham Type A Behavior Pattern Scale, Jenkins Activity Survey, and Finnish Type A Scale, were used for Type A assessment at the start of follow-up. Type A measures were inconsistently associated with cardiovascular mortality, and most associations were non-significant. Some scales suggested slightly decreased, rather than increased, risk of CVD death during the follow-up. Associations with non-cardiovascular deaths were even weaker. Our findings further suggest that there is no evidence to support the Type A as a risk factor for CVD and non-CVD mortality.

Trait anxiety and somatic concerns associate with increased mortality risk: a 23-year follow-up in aging men

PurposeWe aimed to examine the impact of anxiety and somatic concerns on the mortality risk during a 23-year follow-up of a representative sample of men. MethodsFinnish men aged 42–61 years (n = 2388) were followed up for a median of 23.4 years. Anxiety was assessed using baseline scores for the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory Psychasthenia subscale and somatic concerns were measured with the Hypochondriasis subscale. Mortality data were obtained from the National Population Register. ResultsAll-cause, injury, disease, cardiovascular, and cancer mortalities were examined as endpoints. Adjustments were performed for age, smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, low- and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, a history of cardiovascular disease, marital status, socioeconomic status, the Framingham Type A Behavior Pattern Scale, and life events during the 12 months before the baseline examination. Anxiety and somatic concerns predicted the all-cause mortality risk after full adjustments for sociodemographic background, lifestyle factors, and descriptors of somatic health. Regarding other forms of mortality, the risk ratios were significant after full adjustments in anxiety for injury and in somatic concerns for disease death. ConclusionsThis study supported previous findings of anxiety predicting the all-cause mortality risk in men. Somatic concerns are a novel factor that needs to be taken into account while examining associations between personality and the risk of increased mortality.

Stressful Work Involvement and Inherited Long QT-Syndrome

Aims: The long QT syndrome (LQTS) is an inherited cardiac disorder which predisposes the mutation carrier to ventricular arrhythmias that can lead to sudden death. The objective of the study was to study whether stressful work involvement (i.e. worrying about work and job dissatisfaction) is related to arrhythmic risk in LQTS. Study design: Cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of Study: The study took place in Finland in 2006 for the LQTS mutation carriers and 2007 for the general Finnish population. Methodology: The study subjects included 164 symptomatic and 229 asymptomatic LQTS mutation carriers from the Finnish LQTS registry and 1368 comparison subjects randomly derived from the population-based sample, Young Finns Study (YFS). Stressful work involvement was measured with questions derived from the Framingham type A scale. Results: Upon assessment of the stressful work involvement, symptomatic LQTS Research Article British Journal of Medicine & Medical Research, 2(1): 31-38, 2012 32 mutation carriers scored higher than asymptomatic LQTS mutation carriers (1.51 vs. 1.40, p=0.003, η2=0.022) and the general Finnish population (1.51 vs. 1.39, p<0.001, η2=0.012), while asymptomatic LQTS mutation carriers did not differ from the general Finnish population in the corresponding scores (1.40 vs. 1.39, p=0.374, η2<0.001). Conclusion: The results confirm the suggestion that perceived stress, in terms of stressful work involvement, may increase the likelihood of arrhythmic events in LQTS mutation carriers. Thus, individual stress proneness may be a risk factor for LQT symptoms, which should be taken into account in counseling LQTS patients. There is previous evidence that stress proneness can be modified by behavioral therapy.

Type A behavior in individuals with psoriasis as a determinant of acceptance of illness

ENWEndNote BIBJabRef, Mendeley RISPapers, Reference Manager, RefWorks, Zotero AMA Basińska M, Drozdowska M. Original paperType A behavior in individuals with psoriasis as a determinant of acceptance of illness. Advances in Dermatology and Allergology/Postępy Dermatologii i Alergologii. 2012;29(6):432-439. doi:10.5114/pdia.2012.32390. APA Basińska, M., & Drozdowska, M. (2012). Original paperType A behavior in individuals with psoriasis as a determinant of acceptance of illness. Advances in Dermatology and Allergology/Postępy Dermatologii i Alergologii, 29(6), 432-439. https://doi.org/10.5114/pdia.2012.32390 Chicago Basińska, Małgorzata A., and Marta Drozdowska. 2012. "Original paperType A behavior in individuals with psoriasis as a determinant of acceptance of illness". Advances in Dermatology and Allergology/Postępy Dermatologii i Alergologii 29 (6): 432-439. doi:10.5114/pdia.2012.32390. Harvard Basińska, M., and Drozdowska, M. (2012). Original paperType A behavior in individuals with psoriasis as a determinant of acceptance of illness. Advances in Dermatology and Allergology/Postępy Dermatologii i Alergologii, 29(6), pp.432-439. https://doi.org/10.5114/pdia.2012.32390 MLA Basińska, Małgorzata A. et al. "Original paperType A behavior in individuals with psoriasis as a determinant of acceptance of illness." Advances in Dermatology and Allergology/Postępy Dermatologii i Alergologii, vol. 29, no. 6, 2012, pp. 432-439. doi:10.5114/pdia.2012.32390. Vancouver Basińska M, Drozdowska M. Original paperType A behavior in individuals with psoriasis as a determinant of acceptance of illness. Advances in Dermatology and Allergology/Postępy Dermatologii i Alergologii. 2012;29(6):432-439. doi:10.5114/pdia.2012.32390.

화병과 A형 행동유형 및 심혈관질환과의 관련성 연구

Objectives : The purpose of this research is to investigate the corelationship between Hwa-Byung and type A behavior pattern (TABP), cardiovascular disease. Methods : 637 people participated in the community based cohort study in Wonju City of South Korea from July 2nd to August 30th in 2006. Educated investigators checked up EKG and surveyed Hwa-Byung Diagnostic Interview Schedule(HBDIS), Framingham Type A Pattern Score(FTA score). Collected data were analyzed by the chi-square test & t-test. Results : 1. TABP, Hwa-Byung group was 24(70.6%), non Hwa-Byung group was 288(27.8%) p-value was 0.016. Difference of the two group was valid. 2. FTA score, Hwa-Byung group was <TEX>$5.77{\pm}2.25$</TEX>, non Hwa-Byung group was <TEX>$4.41{\pm}2.30$</TEX>, p-value was 0.002. Difference of the two group was valid. Conclusions : TABP ratio, FTA score was high in Hwa-Byung group compared with non Hwa-Byung group.

Does neuregulin-1 play a role in Type A behavior? The cardiovascular risk in young Finns study

BackgroundNeuregulin-1 proteins are related to physiological correlates of Type A in terms of cardiac reactivity. Furthermore, neuregulin-1 gene (NRG1) may play a role in cardiovascular disease such as atherosclerosis and coronary heart disease i.e. the suggested "outcomes" of Type A behavior. Therefore, NRG1 is hypothesized to be associated with Type A behavior.MethodsThe study examined whether Type A behavior pattern is associated with the single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) SNP8NRG221533 of the NRG1. The subjects were 631 men and women participating in the population-based Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns study in 1992 and 2001. Type A was self-assessed with the Framingham Type A Scale and reassessed nine years later.ResultsType A was associated with NRG1 genotype. Carriers of genotype CC scored lower on Type A compared to the others.ConclusionOur study has pinpointed a SNP in NRG1 that predicts Type A behavior. As previous evidence suggests an association for NRG1 with beta-adrenergic stimulation, its role underlying Type A is discussed.

Type A behaviour and consumption of an atherogenic diet: No association in the PRIME study

It has previously been suggested that the association between Type A behaviour and coronary heart disease (CHD) may be mediated through diet. This analysis investigates associations between Type A behaviour and diet, with particular focus on foods high in saturated fats and cholesterol (cake, cheese, eggs and fried potatoes), foods high in unsaturated fats (fish and nuts), and fruit and vegetables. The analysis was conducted on data collected from 10,602 men from Northern Ireland and France screened for inclusion in the PRIME cohort study. Type A behaviour was measured using the Framingham Type A Behaviour Patterns Questionnaire, diet was measured using a Food Frequency Questionnaire and various demographic details were also assessed. Levels of Type A behaviour and intakes of all food groups were similar to previous studies. Using regression, Type A behaviour was significantly associated with diet, and specifically with a higher consumption of cheese and vegetables in Northern Ireland, and a higher consumption of cake, fish and vegetables in France. These associations are most plausibly explained as a result of lifestyle, although the possibility of independent associations between Type A behaviour and diet remains. The work is limited by the use of questionnaires, but the findings available suggest that Type A behaviour is unlikely to be associated with the consumption of a diet that has previously been linked to CHD. These findings suggest that any association between Type A behaviour and CHD is unlikely to be mediated through diet.