A terrific short perspective article shows how “misfearing” affects health care (NEJM 2014; 370: 595-597).

The author quotes one of her patients who when asked what is the number-one killer of women, replies “I know the right answer is heart disease…but I’m still going to say ‘breast cancer.'”

Key points:

• “Tornadoes. Terrorist attacks. Homicides.  The big, the dramatic, and the memorable occupy far more of our worry budget than the things that kill with far greater frequency.”
• “Misfearing” is a term coined by Cass Sunstein “to describe the human tendency to fear instinctively rather than factually”  274. Cass R. Sunstein, “Misfearing: A Reply” – University of Chicago 
• “When I read Angelina Jolie’s New York Times editorial…She’s beautiful and brave, I thought, and I want to be like her.  The cardiologist in me, however, said, ‘Oh no –will this make it even harder for us to help women believe they’re at risk for cardiovascular disease?'” My Medical Choice by Angelina Jolie – NYTimes.com

A graphic from this perspective article shows that mortality from cardiovascular disease is approximately ten times greater than mortality from breast cancer (if difficult to see, the graphic is available online http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMp1314638?query=featured_home):

Cardiovascular vs. Breast Cancer Mortality in Women

In pediatric GI, families are often more worried about the treatment than the disease (e.g.. inflammatory bowel disease), despite the fact that the disease is often far more dangerous.

Take home message: (quote from author) “If we want our facts to translate into better health, we may need to start talking more about our feelings.” This is true not just in cardiovascular disease, but in all aspects of medicine.

Related blog posts:

• Who needs aspirin? | gutsandgrowth
• Cardiovascular disease for the entire family | gutsandgrowth