Partner's nagging may give you heartache

Angina is a pain or discomfort in the chest and is usually caused by coronary heart disease. Some might experience focused pain only in arm, neck, stomach or jaw.

While many describe the feeling as severe tightness, others say it resembles a dull ache, the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health reports.

According to study authors from the University of Copenhagen, Denmark: “Excessive demands and serious worries from significant others seem to be important risk factors for development of angina.”

The study involved more than 4,500 Danish men and women who were free from heart disease when the study began in 2000, according to the Daily Mail.

They were in two groups, one aged 40 at the start and the other 50, and were followed for six years.

The results revealed that demands from a partner increased the risk of angina almost fourfold. Dealing with issues from children and other family members more than doubled the risk.

Interestingly, if neighbours prove to be argumentative, regular rows over the garden fence pushed up the angina risk by 60 per cent.

Overall, nine per cent of the group developed angina and the results were similar for men and women. Risks were higher for the older age group and the more pressure a person was under, the more likely they were to suffer angina.