People who experience serious anxiety about their own health are likely to die before their peers, a study finds.
In many cases, a person may misinterpret regular body functions as symptoms of a serious condition.
This represents a 54% increased risk of death among the people with hypochondriasis.
They also died at an earlier age.
The most staggering difference was in suicide rates, as people with hypochondriasis were 314% more likely to die by suicide than their peers.
There was also a 60% increase in mortality risk for natural causes, such as infections and disease. Heart disease and lung issues were the most to blame.
