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(Reuters Health) – An American study suggests that African-American adults who often struggle to pay their bills are twice as likely to develop heart disease as their counterparts who do not have a lot of financial stress.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and African Americans are more likely to develop the disease than people belonging to other racial and ethnic groups. Some previous research has linked financial stress to an increased risk of chronic health problems, but it is unclear whether money problems are a contributing factor to heart disease in the African-American population, writes L & # 39; study team in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
For the present study, the researchers examined data relating to 2,256 African-American men and women participating in the long-term study on the heart of Jackson, Mississippi from 2000 to 2012. None of the participants n? had shown signs of heart disease early in the study.
After an average follow-up period of 9.6 years, 98 people, or about 4% of participants, had a heart attack, cardiac hospitalization or other event related to heart disease.
"We found that the psychological feelings of stress due to finances were related to the onset of heart disease, such as heart attacks and the procedures used to treat them – even when other problems such as access to care or the difficulty in paying for drugs were taken into account, "said Cheryl Clark, senior author of the study, Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School in Boston.
"While it can be difficult to quickly turn around finances, there are treatments and strategies to reduce stress and stress-related illnesses," Clark said via email. "Patients should always discuss heart health issues with a doctor and ensure that problems such as depression or other risks of heart disease are treated to reduce their risk of heart disease."
As part of the study, participants were regularly asked to rate the stress they were experiencing in a number of areas, including financial difficulties, such as bill payment problems or lack of pocket money.
The researchers also examined other characteristics and behaviors of patients that may have an impact on the risk of heart disease, including smoking or exercising, if they were suffering from chronic health problems like diabetes or high blood pressure, if they were suffering from depression, they had insurance and how much. the income and the education that they had.
Part of the link between financial hardship and heart problems has been explained by smoking, diabetes and depression.
The study was not designed to prove that financial stress could directly cause heart disease. The researchers were also unable to determine if the impact of financial stress on the heart was different depending on the lifespan of people with money problems.
Even so, any type of stress, including financial, can cause changes in the body that contribute to inflammation and cause an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, as well as metabolic problems, said the Dr. Erica Spatz, researcher at the Yale School of Medicine. in New Haven, Connecticut.
"Financial hardship also makes it harder for people to adopt healthy behaviors or to get health care and the necessary medications – two very expensive costs," Spatz said. not participated in the study, by e-mail. .
"Financial difficulties are a powerful stressor," added Spatz. "While monetary support may be helpful, we must not underestimate the importance of social support, linkages and possibly mental health care to mitigate the psychological and physiological effects of financial hardship."
SOURCE: bit.ly/2N6rp1m American Journal of Preventive Medicine, online January 17, 2019.
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