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Being a parent is difficult. Not to mention being an Asian mum whose son can't do math.

In fact, the frustration was enough to send one mum in Hubei, China to the hospital with a heart attack that almost claimed her life.

Wang, 36, had been helping her son with his homework on Nov 1 when she began to get angry with the Primary 3 student after repeatedly explaining a math problem to him, reported Sin Chew Daily.

"I explained it to him many times but he still couldn't get it. I was so angry that I could explode," she told reporters in Mandarin. "Suddenly, my heart was palpitating and I couldn't breathe properly."

Wang immediately called her husband, who drove her to the hospital.

Yang Xiaoxue, a doctor at Xinhua Hospital's internal medicine department, diagnosed Wang with myocardial infarction, or a heart attack.

"She caught it in time. If there had been any delay, she could have suffered from heart failure," Yang told reporters.

The doctor also listed an unhealthy diet and stress as the biggest causes of the increasing incidence of heart disease among younger patients such as Wang.

After her brush with death, Wang, who helps her son with his homework every night, admitted to reporters that she would often get exasperated with him but never expected that it would have such serious consequences.

While stress may be unavoidable, Florence Huang, a Hong Kong-based psychologist, says that parents should learn to manage their emotions.

Not only do negative emotions like stress and anger affect parents' health, they also have adverse effects on kids.

"When this state of experiencing anger and aggression at home is prolonged, the children's self-esteem may be affected, leading to self-blame and feelings of shame, humiliation and helplessness," said Huang.

kimberlylim@asiaone.com