VANCOUVER, British Columbia -- Children and teens who seem awfully
angry for their tender years also show the biological signs of strain on
their hearts, suggests a study to be presented today.

Hostile adults are known to have a higher-than-average share of risk
factors for developing cardiovascular disease. This pattern seems to
start as early as 8 years old, says Kristen Salomon of the University of
Pittsburgh Medical School. Salomon will speak at the meeting here of the
American Psychosomatic Society.

''Parents should realize their kids may need help in dealing with their
anger,'' Salomon says. ''Don't just assume it's a harmless phase.''

Study participants were 123 healthy children 8 to 10 years old and 78
teens ages 15 to 17. Salomon compared the participants' resting blood
pressure, blood fat and glucose levels with how their cardiovascular
systems responded during laboratory tasks known to be stressful.

Researchers also measured the youngsters' body fat and administered
personality tests that showed the kids' levels of hostility.

Youngsters with two or more cardiac risk factors -- for example, high
blood pressure and low levels of HDL, the ''good cholesterol'' -- rated
significantly higher in hostility than children with less cardiac risk.

But what comes first, the hostility or the physical signs linked to it?

This study doesn't prove anger causes the biological reactions. But
treatments that reduce hostility and foster relaxation in adults have been
found to improve risk factors such as high blood pressure.

Hostile children seldom develop in total isolation from their family
patterns, says pediatrician Mark Wolraich, director of the child
development division at Vanderbilt Medical School in Nashville.

''They may be experiencing anger at home or perhaps have inherited a
temperament, but frequently the home environment is involved,''
Wolraich says. Parents may need help themselves to help children
channel their anger constructively, he adds.

Anger management groups for youngsters have mushroomed in the
past few years, Wolraich says. They're often offered at schools, in
local mental health clinics or by private psychologists.
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