Chronic stress linked to heart damage, other risks in new imaging study
Chronic stress is associated with an increased risk of heart damage, according to new data published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.[1] The same study linked living a stressful life to a significantly higher risk of experiencing a heart attack or stroke.
Researchers tracked data from more than 480,000 U.K. Biobank participants, using cardiac MRI scans to identify signs of chronic inflammation. The group then used artificial intelligence to learn more about how such inflammation impacts the heart and impacts a person risk of experiencing a major adverse cardiovascular event (MACE).
Overall, the group found that larger amounts of chronic inflammation—a low-level activation of a person’s immune system—were linked to reduced left ventricular volumes and an increased MACE risk.
“Our study, which is the largest of its kind, suggests that millions of people could be living with hidden inflammation, which is slowly changing their heart and causing long-term damage—increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke,” corresponding author Declan O’Regan, PhD, a researcher with the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences and Imperial College London, explained in a statement. “Chronic inflammation is complicated, but we know it’s tied to our health and driven by a range of lifestyle and economic factors—meaning people may be at more risk just because of their surroundings, their economic status, their family’s health and their lifestyle.”
Chronic inflammation has previously been linked to an increased risk of diabetes and certain cancers. O’Regan noted that a large number of things can contribute to chronic inflammation, including everything from smoking and inactivity, to a person’s genetics.
Bryan Williams, chief scientific officer and chief medical officer of the British Heart Foundation, was not involved in this analysis, but he provided his own perspective in the same statement.
“The research provides valuable insights into how our genes and lifestyle factors, such as smoking, poor mental health and socioeconomic status, can converge to trigger inflammation,” he said. “It also identifies several inflammatory proteins that appear to play a key role in the heart changes linked to chronic inflammation, and it is to be hoped that anti-inflammatory medicines could become an important tool in preventing cardiovascular disease.”
Research teams all over the world have been hard working to develop new ways to reduce inflammation as a way to potentially improve cardiovascular outcomes. These findings help make the case that such studies could be potential game-changers in the years ahead.
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Michael has more than 19 years of experience as a professional writer and editor. He has written at length about cardiology, radiology, artificial intelligence and other key healthcare topics.