New Research Finds That Adults In Their Twenties And Thirties With Mental Disorders Including Anxiety, Depression, Or Insomnia Are At An Increased Risk Of Stroke And Heart Attack
According to a new study published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, adults in their twenties and thirties living with mental disorders have up to a three times higher risk of suffering a stroke or heart attack.
Within the research, which included over 6.5 million individuals, one out of every eight participants had a mental illness such as anxiety, depression, or insomnia. And lifestyle habits did not explain the increased heart attack or stroke risk.
Instead, the study’s author– Professor Eu-Keun Choi from the Seoul National University College of Medicine– detailed how psychological problems are closely tied to cardiovascular health.
“The findings indicate that these individuals should receive regular health check-ups and medication if appropriate to prevent myocardial infarction and stroke,” Choi said.
“While lifestyle behaviors did not explain the excess cardiovascular risk, this does not mean that healthier habits would not improve prognosis. Lifestyle modification should therefore be recommended to young adults with mental disorders to boost heart health.”
The study specifically examined the relationship between mental disorders among adults aged 20 to 39 and the risk of developing ischemic stroke and myocardial infarction.
The Korean National Health Insurance Service (NHIS) database was used to collect data on over 6.5 million individuals who had no history of stroke or myocardial infarction and received a health examination between 2009 and 2012.
The average age of the participants was 31 years old, and over 850,000 were diagnosed with at least one mental disorder.
Among this group, almost half of the individuals had anxiety. Additionally, just over 21% had depression, and 20% had insomnia.
Drobot Dean – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person
Nearly 29% of the participants also had somatoform disorder; meanwhile, substance use disorder affected 2.7%, and 1.3% had bipolar disorder.
The researchers followed the participants up until December 2018 to track newly onset strokes and myocardial infarctions.
And after 7.6 years– the median follow-up period– it was found that 10,509 strokes and 16,133 myocardial infarctions had occurred.
Afterward, the team was able to examine the link between cardiovascular outcomes and mental health disorders– adjusting for potentially-influencing factors such as gender, age, diabetes, high blood pressure, metabolic syndrome, high cholesterol, alcohol use, smoking, income, and physical activity.
It was determined that individuals with any mental disorder actually had a 58% higher risk of myocardial infarction and a 42% higher risk of stroke as opposed to individuals with no mental disorders.
The researchers also analyzed risk relationships for each mental condition. The risk of myocardial infarction was greatest among participants with PTSD at 3.13 times higher.
Thereafter, myocardial infarction risk was 2.61 times high for those with schizophrenia, 2.47 times higher for individuals with substance abuse disorder, and 2.4 times higher for individuals with bipolar disorder.
Finally, the myocardial infarction risks were 2.29 times higher and 1.97 times higher for those with personality disorders and eating disorders, respectively. At the same time, those with insomnia witnessed a 1.73 times higher risk, and those with depression had a risk 1.72 times greater.
Stroke risk was also elevated for all mental health disorders, with the exception of eating disorders and PTSD.
Individuals with personality disorders had a 3.06 times higher risk of stroke; meanwhile, those with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder had a 2.95 and 2.64 times higher risk, respectively.
Individuals with substance abuse disorder also had a 2.44 times higher risk of stroke. Finally, those with depression, insomnia, and anxiety had 1.60, 1.45, and 1.38 times higher risks, respectively.
So, the researchers ultimately found that anxiety, depression, and schizophrenia were linked with a greater risk of myocardial infarction for individuals in their twenties as opposed to individuals in their thirties.
Additionally, women with insomnia and depression were found to have a higher risk of stroke and heart attack than men.
To read the study’s complete findings, visit the link here.
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