In a study from Guangdong Provincial People’s Hospital, scientists found childhood trauma, especially physical abuse, might increase the risk of heart failure later in life.
Past studies have found a connection between traumatic experiences in childhood and cardiovascular disease and other health problems.
But there’s been little research on a specific link to heart failure, in which the heart can’t pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs. Heart failure affects about 6 million U.S. adults.
In the study, researchers looked at data from 153,287 adults in the United Kingdom and zeroed in on which participants experienced childhood maltreatment – defined in the study as physical abuse, physical neglect, emotional abuse, emotional neglect and sexual abuse.
They also examined whether participants had a genetic predisposition for heart failure.
After about 12 years of follow-up, 2,067 participants developed heart failure.
The team found experiencing any one of those types of childhood maltreatment was associated with a 14% increase in the risk of developing heart failure.
Participants with three to five types of childhood maltreatment had a 43% increased risk.
In addition, physical abuse was independently associated with the highest increase in risk (32%), followed by emotional abuse (26%), physical neglect (23%), sexual abuse (15%), and emotional neglect (12%).
The researchers also found childhood maltreatment increased heart failure risk even among those with low genetic risk.
The findings suggest childhood maltreatment can be a new predictor of heart failure in later life.
Even when the genetic susceptibility for heart failure of high-risk individuals is low, early identification of childhood maltreatment may help inform long-term heart failure risk.
The researchers called on cardiologists to work more closely with psychiatrists and psychologists to come up with new ways of fighting cardiovascular diseases.
They also encouraged those who’ve experienced mistreatment to be proactive about their health.
People who have experienced adverse events in childhood are encouraged to increase physical activity, maintain normal body weight and improve their lifestyle to reduce future heart failure risk.
If you care about heart health, please read studies about cannabis and heart attack, and this diabetes drug could revolutionize heart failure treatment.
For more information about heart health, please see recent studies that your walking pace may impact your heart failure risk, and results showing what to eat if you have a heart rhythm problem.
The study was conducted by Dr. Qingshan Geng et al and published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
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