Stress and heart attacks may be linkedHR professionals may wish to take steps to combat stress in the workplace, following the news that suppressed anger and heart disease are linked.

The Swedish study published in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health found that men double their risk of heart attack if they do not express the frustrations they feel at work.

As a result, the BBC reports that the researchers claim the study shows a strong relationship between pent-up anger and heart disease.

Commenting on the findings, Neil Shah, director of the Stress Management Society, said it was important employers and HR teams had a firm understanding of how stress effected their organisation.

“Incorporating wellbeing into your culture as an organisation, valuing your people, recognising your people’s health and wellbeing is an important part of improving productivity, efficiency and ensuring that you have a profitable company,” he added.

Mr Shah went on to note that the financial implications of not tackling stress – such as what this could mean in terms of absence management – made it “very easy” to start addressing the issue.