A new study has revealed that chronic inflammation, associated with people’s socioeconomic situation and lifestyles, may be quietly changing the structure of the heart, increasing the risk of stroke and heart attack.
According to the researchers from the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) and Imperial College London, who analyzed data from 480,000 adults in the United Kingdom via the UK Biobank, these changes may develop years before patients experience any cardiovascular symptoms.
After measuring a blood marker known as GlycA alongside heart imaging and genetic data, they found that people with the highest levels of inflammation, the top 20 percent, had a 43 percent higher risk of heart attack and stroke than those with the lowest levels, the bottom 20 percent.
Professor Declan O’Regan, British Heart Foundation chair of Cardiovascular AI at Imperial College London and head of the Computational Cardiac Imaging Group at the LMS, said in a press release: “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.
“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.”
“But while tackling health inequalities remains an issue, there are things that we can do about inflammation, including reducing risk factors like smoking and obesity,” he said.
Stock image of nurses using a defibrillator on an unconscious patient.
The study, published Friday in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, reveals that higher levels of inflammation are often associated with socioeconomic disadvantages and psychological distress, as well as established risks such as smoking and excess body fat.
While the study also found a strong genetic factor, suggesting that some people may be more resilient to inflammatory damage than others, the researchers stressed that not everyone susceptible or exposed to adverse circumstances will develop heart disease.
O’Regan told Newsweek: “Chronic stress, from many different causes, may trigger long-term inflammation with no initial symptoms. But we can now see how this leads to adverse changes in the heart that precede any symptoms of cardiovascular disease.
“Social disadvantage is emerging as a key risk factor for heart disease and potentially an important public health intervention.”
According to O’Regan, there are currently no effective drugs to treat this sort of chronic inflammation, but trials of new therapies are underway for those at most risk.
“The best way to reduce inflammation is probably to keep to a healthy weight, and there is some evidence that a Mediterranean diet can have a modest effect on inflammation,” he said.
“We know that people with mental health conditions are at increased risk of heart disease – this study suggests that chronic hidden inflammation may be a key factor linking the two conditions.”
Reference:
O’Regan et al. Gene-environment interactions shape cytokine-mediated inflammation and cardiovascular risk. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.
Contact Newsweek editors on this story: Kara Dolman and Sam Wilson.
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