According to a new study, adults in their 20s and 30s with mental illnesses have a greater risk of suffering a heart attack or stroke.
The study, published Monday in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, examined the health data of almost 6.5 million people from the Korean National Health Insurance Service database, reports CNN.
The participants in the research varied in age from 20 to 39 and were examined for health between 2009 and 2012. Their health was evaluated for new onset heart attacks and strokes until December 2018, it said.
According to the study, around 13% of individuals had some sort of mental disease, which included insomnia, anxiety, depression, somatoform disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, drug use disorder, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, or a personality disorder.
The study found that those under the age of 40 who have a mental illness are 58% more likely to have a heart attack and 42% more likely to have a stroke than those who do not have a mental disorder.
“We have known for some time that mental health and physical health are linked, but what I find surprising about these findings is that these links were observable at such a young age,” said Dr Katherine Ehrlich, an associate professor of behavioral and brain sciences at the University of Georgia. Ehrlich was not involved in the research.
Coronary artery disease and heart attacks are uncommon in persons under the age of 40, therefore, a major research like this one was required to investigate the link between mental health and such an unusual occurrence in young people, she explained.
Mental health and lifestyle
Ehrlich stated that she would like to learn more about the participants' physical activity and diets in order to better understand the association between mental health disorders and heart attack and stroke.
“For example, if you are chronically depressed, you may struggle to maintain a healthy diet and get adequate physical activity, which might in turn increase your risk for cardiac events over time,” she said.
The study said, the higher risk could not be attributable to lifestyle variations alone because the investigators accounted for age, gender, high blood pressure, diabetes, high cholesterol, metabolic syndrome, chronic renal disease, smoking, alcohol, physical activity, and income, the report added.
However, according to research author Dr Eue-Keun Choi, a professor of internal medicine at Seoul National University College of Medicine in South Korea, lifestyle should not be overlooked.
“While lifestyle behaviours did not explain the excess cardiovascular risk, this does not mean that healthier habits would not improve prognosis,” Choi said in a statement. “Lifestyle modification should therefore be recommended to young adults with mental disorders to boost heart health.”
Changes and checkups
According author Dr Chan Soon Park, a researcher at Seoul National University Hospital in South Korea, one in every eight adults between the ages of 20 and 39 evaluated had some type of mental disorder, implying that a significant number of people may be prone to heart attack and stroke, the report said further.
According to Park, this might indicate a higher need for controlling psychiatric disorders and monitoring heart health in people at risk.
“If we can reduce the number of people living with chronic mental illness, we may find secondary benefits in future years regarding the number of people managing cardiac-related conditions,” Ehrlich said.
She went on to say that the data do not prove that mental disorder causes heart attacks or strokes. However, the findings do point to a risk factor to be aware of.
Preventive strategies to reduce risks such as keeping a balanced diet and adding physical activity, may be beneficial, according to Ehrlich.
Choi suggested that patients with mental health issues get frequent examinations as well.
She said that these findings may highlight the importance of addressing loneliness.
“Many individuals with mental illness suffer from social isolation and loneliness, and for years researchers have been sounding the alarm that loneliness is detrimental for physical health,” Ehrlich said.
“Efforts to improve social connectedness among young people may be critical to addressing the rising rates of cardio metabolic conditions in adulthood,” she added.