Unfortunately, those people who suffer from long-term illnesses are less likely to recover from and survive after a cardiac arrest than people who don't -- for every chronic condition a person suffers from their chances of survival decrease by 16%. That may sound like bad news, but knowledge is always a good thing and a move in the right direction. Now that doctors and specialists know what they're dealing with they can start working on ways to personalize treatments to individual situations, and on understanding how different illnesses impact the success of resuscitation efforts and other emergency interventions.

If you suffer from heart disease it obviously adds a degree of stress and worry to your life, but although it's understandable (and all-to-common) you still want to look at ways to keep your anxiety levels as low as possible. A new study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology shows that high levels of chronic anxiety can increase the risk of heart attack and death for patients with heart disease.

Further research is needed to pinpoint exactly how and why this happens, and separate out other factors that may also contribute. But the results make sense considering stress has been shown to harm cardiovascular health, and anxiety is a form of stress. For help on reducing your anxiety and stress levels, try this post from earlier this year, and this article on anxiety in women.

The psychological effects of poverty and low social stature, in addition to an increased prevalence of obesity and smoking in poor populations contribute greatly to health and mortality rates. A new British study finds the country's poorest are 10 times more likely to die in their 50's than the wealthy population-- even given equal access and quality of health care.

The poor are much more likely to suffer from an array of 17 chronic conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure-- both of which lead to heart disease. Living alone is more common among the poor, the study found, and that twice as many poor people felt isolated compared to wealthy people. Feelings of isolation can lead to depression, which recent studies have explicitly linked to heart disease.

Mad cow disease, or prion disease, is ultimately a fatal disease that creates swiss cheese sponge-like holes in the brain, but before the infected person dies from prion disease, they can suffer neurologic abnormalities, dementia, memory loss, hallucinations, and seizures -- a kind of madness. In the United States, if you lived in the United Kingdom for three months or more during the outbreak of mad cow disease from 1980 to 1996, you are asked not to donate blood. In the United Kingdom, the restriction on blood donation is much stricter -- only individuals born after the outbreak can donate blood.

But mad cow disease is not confined to the UK. Since the much documented outbreak in the UK, mad cow disease has been found in other countries around the globe. Several factors make mad cow disease disturbing. One, scientists know that the disease can be transmitted across species through the consumption of tainted meat from a diseased animal. Two, they believe it can take decades after infection before symptoms become evident -- like a ticking time-bomb waiting to explode at some unknown time. Prions diseases include scrapie in sheep, mad cow disease in cattle, chronic wasting disease in deer and elk, and new variant Creutzfeldt-Jacob disease in humans. Right now, there are 140 human cases. The median age of death of people infected in Great Britain, where most cases have occurred, is 28 years of age.

New research has come to light that prion diseases can travel through the bloodstream and infect heart muscle leading to heart failure. In laboratory tests involving mice, researchers discovered that the prion protein decreased the heart's ability to pump blood.    

"Until now, prion disease has been thought of as a chronic neurological condition," says Scripps Research Professor Michael B. Oldstone, M.D., who led the research. "Our study has shown, however, that it can have other manifestations, therefore expanding the types of conditions it could cause."

A heavy heart is a hard heart. Chronic depression contributes greatly to the development of heart disease.

Depression produces sustained inflammation of the blood vessels, which can lead to hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis. This condition causes the heart to pump harder through narrowed vessels, and hardened pieces of the wall can break off forming a clot. Low-serotonin levels associated with chronic depression also come with elevated heart rate, increasing blood pressure. This phenomena also contributes to hardened arteries. In addition, low-serotonin results in thicker blood-- since the neurotransmitter is responsible for platelet activity that keeps the blood pumping smoothly. Sooner or later you've got a heart attack on your hands.

Other effects of depression on the heart include a constant production of cortisol, a stress induced hormone that serves as a key player in 'flight or fight' reaction. Constant high levels of cortisol contribute to high blood pressure, increased bad cholesterol and insulin levels, as well as an excess of abdominal fat.

Women exposed to daily disrespect or mistreatment have higher levels of arterial calcium deposits-- an early heart disease warning, reports the journal Psychosomatic Medicine. The on-going heart study followed 181 African-American women, aged 45 to 58 for five years. Chronic discrimination inflicted a higher incidence of calcium build-up in the arteries than occasional discrimination.

The women were asked survey questions to measure the frequency of daily disrespect, from being ignored to being treated with less courtesy than others. For every one point higher on their chronic discrimination score, they were three times more likely to have calcium build-up. Although the study was adjusted for known heart disease risk factors, these women were 2.5 times more likely to have calcium deposits than women who were not discriminated against on a daily basis. The researchers recommend interventions to reduce the stressful emotional blow of subtle daily discrimination to prevent heart disease in African-American women.

Depression strikes one in seven people over 65. With symptoms often unrecognized, anywhere from 70 to 90 percent of the depressed elderly go untreated. Depression can be caused by the on-set of life-threatening illness, by brain injuries resulting from strokes, and can be aggravated by certain medications taken for high blood pressure and heart disease. Because depression can make people neglect prescribed physical remedies, their existing heart disease ailments can worsen.

The classic signs include continual sadness, lack of energy or interest in previously enjoyable activities, non-existent personal hygiene, difficulty sleeping, poor concentration and appetite. Some symptoms not normally recognized as depression can include a spaced-out affect, irritability and anxiety, pacing or fidgeting, and delusions or hallucinations. They can also be depressed without feeling sad, instead experiencing additional physical ailments such as aches and pains or gastrointestinal upset.

Treatment options range from talk therapy to anti-depressant medication to mild electro-shock therapy. Sometimes a combination of therapies works best, and is often a process of trial and error to see what is effective for each individual. Over 80 percent of the depressed elderly respond well to some kind of therapy, say experts.

Traumatized quake survivors in the Java region of Indonesia have turned to massage as an alternative pain and stress-reducing treatment. The 6.3 earthquake killed 6,200 people and left another 130,000 homeless last Saturday. A real estate company hired two masseurs to offer free treatment in the capital of Java, and they have been in high demand. Massage helps ease nerves, improve blood flow and lower high blood pressure that can lead to heart disease.

The masseurs apply pressure points on the body, which can be painful in process, but ultimately heals and relieves chronic pain altogether. "You are suffering from stress," said Yoso Dumeri, the 73-year-old masseur, to Suparjo, 61-year-old quake survivor. Suparjo suffered from chronic headaches and difficulty walking since the quake.  "A lot of people here are suffering from stress and high blood pressure because of the quake," said Dumeri. Since his treatment his headaches are gone.

Another survivor, Ponim, 45, could not sleep after the quake. Recent studies have shown inadequate sleep can lead to obesity and heart disease. After visiting the masseur, Ponim said "they massaged my shoulder and fingers. I am fine now. I can sleep again. Some people even come here after being treated by doctors."