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 \u2013 increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke.<\/p>\n
“Chronic inflammation is complicated, but we know it’s tied to our health and driven by a range of lifestyle and economic factors \u2013 meaning people may be at more risk just because of their surroundings, their economic status, their family’s health and their lifestyle.”<\/p>\n
“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<\/a>,” he said.<\/p>\n Stock image of nurses using a defibrillator on an unconscious patient.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n “Social disadvantage is emerging as a key risk factor for heart disease and potentially an important public health intervention.”<\/p>\n 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.<\/p>\n “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.<\/p>\n “We know that people with mental health conditions are at increased risk of heart disease \u2013 this study suggests that chronic hidden inflammation may be a key factor linking the two conditions.”<\/p>\n Reference:<\/p>\n O’Regan et al. Gene-environment interactions shape cytokine-mediated inflammation and cardiovascular risk. European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.<\/p>\n![\"Stock](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ie\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/https:\/\/media.zenfs.com\/en\/newsweek_sports_200\/87756a3b73e40c650660b6d29750568a.jpg\"\/)
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