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Adults in their 20s and 30s with mental disorders are more likely to have a heart attack or stroke, according to a new study.
He study published Monday in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology analyzed the health data of more than 6.5 million people through the database of the National Health Insurance Service of Korea.
The people included in the new The study was between the ages of 20 and 39 and underwent health screenings between 2009 and 2012. His health was monitored until December 2018 for new-onset heart attacks and strokes.
About 13% of the participants had some type of mental disorder, including insomnia, anxiety, depression, somatoform disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorder, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or a personality disorder, according to the study.
Those people younger than Those 40 with a mental disorder were 58% more likely to have a heart attack and 42% more likely to have a stroke than those without any disorder, the study found.
“We have known for a long time that mental health and physical health are linked, but what surprises me about these findings is that these links were observable at such a young age,” said Dr. Katherine Ehrlich, associate professor of behavioral sciences. and of the brain. science at the University of Georgia. Ehrlich was not involved in the investigation.
Coronary artery disease and heart attacks are rare before the age of 40, so a study as large as this one It was necessary to see the relationship between mental health and such an unusual event in young people, he said.
Ehrlich said she would like to know more about the physical activity and diets of the people involved to better understand whether those factors play a role in the relationship between mental health conditions and heart attack and stroke.
“For example, if you have chronic depression, you may have difficulty maintaining a healthy diet and getting adequate physical activity, which in turn could increase your risk of cardiac events over time,” he said.
But the increased risk could not be attributed to lifestyle differences alone, as the authors controlled for factors such as age, gender, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, metabolic syndrome, kidney disease chronic smoking, alcohol, physical activity and income, the study said.
However, that doesn’t mean lifestyle should be ignored, the study author said. Dr. Eue-Keun Choi, a professor of internal medicine at the Seoul National University School of Medicine in South Korea.
“While lifestyle behaviors did not explain excess cardiovascular risk, this does not mean that healthier habits would not improve prognosis,” Choi said in a statement. “Therefore, lifestyle modification should be recommended to young adults with mental disorders to improve heart health.”
One in eight people between the ages of 20 and 39 studied had some form of mental illness, meaning a considerable number of people could be predisposed to heart attack and stroke, said study author Dr. Chan Soon. Park, a researcher at Seoul National University Hospital in South Korea. he said in a statement.
That could point to a greater need to monitor psychological conditions and monitor heart health in those at risk, Park added.
“If we can reduce the number of people living with chronic mental illness, we may find secondary benefits in future years to the number of people managing heart-related conditions,” Ehrlich said.
It’s important to note that the findings don’t show that mental illness causes heart attacks or strokes, he added. But the research does indicate a risk factor to be aware of.
There may be a benefit to preventive measures to minimize risks, Ehrlich said, which may include maintaining a healthy diet and incorporating physical activity.
Choi recommends that people with mental health problems also get regular checkups.
These findings may also emphasize the importance of addressing loneliness, he added.
“Many people with mental illness suffer from social isolation and loneliness, and for years researchers have sounded the alarm that loneliness is detrimental to physical health,” Ehrlich said.
“Efforts to improve social connectedness among youth may be critical in addressing the rising rates of cardiometabolic conditions in adulthood,” he added.
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