Low-Dose Aspirin for Prevention of Cardiovascular Risk in Bereavement: Results from a Feasibility Study

Karl, Sebastian; Fallon, Monica; Palitsky, Roman; Martinez, Jessica A.; Gündel, Harald; O’Connor, Mary Frances

doi:10.1159/000481862

Cited by 8 publications

(10 citation statements)

References 11 publications

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“…Cardiovascular biomarkers have shown consistent changes in bereavement when comparing acute (e.g., <6 weeks) and chronic grief within bereaved individuals, and also between bereaved and nonbereaved groups. The shift is seen in tonic activity, although there are some indications that reactivity measures (i.e., phasic activity) may also differ(29,30). These biomarkers include increased heart rate (resting and 24-hour), heart rate variability, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, von Willebrand factor, and platelet/granulocyte aggregates(31–34).…”

Section: Changes In Biomarkers During Griefmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Finally, as researchers with interest in translational applications, clinical trials should examine how intervention during acute and chronic grief could improve health. In acute grief, we have published a very small feasibility trial of low-dose aspirin as a potential primary prevention strategy(29). As a risk factor, bereavement is often predictable and the increased risk is temporary.…”

Section: Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Grief: A Brief History of Research on How Body, Mind, and Brain Adapt

O’Connor

2019

Psychosom Med

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Objective: Using an integrative view of psychology, neuroscience, immunology and psychophysiology, the present review of literature curates the findings that have had an impact on the field of bereavement research, and shaped its development. Methods: Beginning with Lindemann’s systematic descriptions of medical and psychological responses to the death of a loved one, specific studies that investigate medical outcomes following loss, their psychological predictors, and biopsychosocial mechanisms are discussed. This selective review culminates in recommendations for the field for future research, including greater integration of these disparate fields of inquiry. Results: Morbidity and mortality following the death of a loved one has long been a topic of research. Early researchers characterized somatic and psychological symptoms and studied immune cell changes in bereaved samples. More recent research has repeatedly demonstrated increased rates of morbidity and mortality in bereaved samples, as compared to married controls, in large epidemiological studies. Recent developments also include the development of criteria for prolonged grief disorder (also termed complicated grief). Newer methods, including neuroimaging, have observed that the greatest impact of the death of a loved one is in those who have the most severe psychological grief reactions. Mechanisms tying bereavement to medical outcomes are scarce, but differences in rumination, in inflammation and in cortisol dysregulation between those who adapt well and those who do not, have been offered with some evidence. Conclusions: Recommendations to propel the field forward include longitudinal studies to understand differences between acute reactions and later adaptation, comparing samples with grief disorders from those with more typical responses, and integrating responses in brain, mind and body.

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Section: Changes In Biomarkers During Griefmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Future Directionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Grief: A Brief History of Research on How Body, Mind, and Brain Adapt

O’Connor

2019

Psychosom Med

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“…In line with this hypothesis, anti-inflammatory drugs, e.g., the anti-TNF antibody, infliximab [ 333 ], or the cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor celecoxib [ 202 , 292 ], have shown some promise in treatment of stress-related psychiatric disorders. Interestingly, and in support of the latter, acutely bereaved participants, assessed within 30 days of the death of their spouse, reported significantly fewer depressive symptoms when treated with 81 mg of aspirin per day over the preceding 5 days, compared to bereaved participants receiving placebo treatment only [ 185 ].…”

Section: Stress Inflammation and Mental Health: The Cytokine Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

Old Friends, immunoregulation, and stress resilience

Langgartner

Lowry

Reber³

2018

Pflugers Arch - Eur J Physiol

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There is a considerable body of evidence indicating that chronic adverse experience, especially chronic psychosocial stress/trauma, represents a major risk factor for the development of many somatic and affective disorders, including inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the mechanisms underlying the development of chronic stress-associated disorders are still in large part unknown, and current treatment and prevention strategies lack efficacy and reliability. A greater understanding of mechanisms involved in the development and persistence of chronic stress-induced disorders may lead to novel approaches to prevention and treatment of these disorders. In this review, we provide evidence indicating that increases in immune (re-)activity and inflammation, potentially promoted by a reduced exposure to immunoregulatory microorganisms (“Old Friends”) in today’s modern society, may be causal factors in mediating the vulnerability to development and persistence of stress-related pathologies. Moreover, we discuss strategies to increase immunoregulatory processes and attenuate inflammation, as for instance contact with immunoregulatory Old Friends, which appears to be a promising strategy to promote stress resilience and to prevent/treat chronic stress-related disorders.

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“…Such emotions can elicit health-relevant cardiovascular response (Schwartz et al, 2012). One study that examined reactivity in HR and BP among bereaved persons in response to a grief-relevant emotional stimulus (the separation recall interview) observed elevated HR and BP in comparison with nonbereaved individuals (Karl et al, 2018). The capacity to modulate emotion…”

Section: Health Impacts Of Bereavement In Aging Populationsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Associations of religious and existential variables with psychosocial factors and biomarkers of cardiovascular risk in bereavement

Palitsky,

Chen,

Rentscher

et al. 2023

Aging Cell

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Bereavement increases in prevalence as people age and is associated with multiple psychological and health risks, including cardiovascular risk. Religious and existential variables may play an important role in the health impacts of bereavement. Theorized pathways linking religious and existential variables with health have suggested these associations are due to intermediary psychosocial variables, but have not been tested in bereavement. This research empirically tested these pathways in a bereaved population. In N = 73 adults within 1 year of bereavement (mean age = 64.36), this study examined associations between (1) religious and existential characteristics (religious and spiritual struggles, intrinsic religiosity, and existential quest) and intermediary psychosocial variables (depression, loneliness, and difficulties in emotion regulation), and between (2) intermediary psychosocial variables and bereavement‐relevant health outcomes (self‐reported health, change in health since last year, grief severity, and cardiovascular biomarkers). Cardiovascular biomarkers (heart rate, heart rate variability, and blood pressure) were collected before, during, and after a laboratory grief recall emotion elicitation. Anticipated associations between self‐reported religious and existential characteristics and intermediary variables, and between intermediary variables and self‐reported bereavement‐relevant outcomes, were consistently observed. However, associations between intermediary variables and cardiovascular biomarkers were largely unobserved. This study examined the role of religious and existential variables in whole‐person health after bereavement and is among the first to include biomarkers of cardiovascular risk. Results suggest that although religious and existential variables are associated with important bereavement‐related outcomes, these associations may be “skin‐deep,” and extensions to cardiovascular functioning should be re‐examined.

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Low-Dose Aspirin for Prevention of Cardiovascular Risk in Bereavement: Results from a Feasibility Study

Cited by 8 publications

References 11 publications

Grief: A Brief History of Research on How Body, Mind, and Brain Adapt

Grief: A Brief History of Research on How Body, Mind, and Brain Adapt

Old Friends, immunoregulation, and stress resilience

Associations of religious and existential variables with psychosocial factors and biomarkers of cardiovascular risk in bereavement

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