Violent fights with intimate partners may contribute to higher risk of heart attack

Representation pic

Preliminary research conducted in the US has found that having a violent encounter with an intimate partner or family member even once may increase a young adult's risk of having a heart attack, stroke, or hospitalisation for heart failure years later. Women, between the ages of 18 and 34), are at a higher risk owing to the disproportionately higher rates at which they are subjected to intimate partner violence, according to the National Domestic Violence Hotline in the US.

"There is a growing body of evidence that links intimate partner violence -- a significant mental and physical trauma -- to adverse cardiovascular outcomes," said lead study author Kathryn Recto from Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. The preliminary research is set to be presented at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2022 in Chicago on November 5 to 7. Intimate partner violence refers to any physical, emotional, or mental abuse or aggression occurring in a romantic relationship between a current or former spouse or dating partner.

The analysis found that exposure to intimate partner violence or family violence was associated with at least a 34 per cent higher risk for cardiovascular events and at least a 30 per cent increased risk of death from any cause when adjusting for age, sex and race. Having more than one violent episode with an intimate partner in the past year also increased the risk of death by 34 per cent, and the increased risk of death was 59 per cent among those who reported the violent episode involved a family member other than a spouse/lover.

The participants who reported experiencing intimate partner violence were 62 per cent of black adults and 38 per cent of white adults, the findings showed. "The results suggest that intimate partner violence appears to be very much related to a higher risk of cardiovascular events or death," Recto added.

Moreover, the authors suggested that future research should investigate the biochemical pathways that link intimate partner violence and cardiovascular disease. "The authors were careful to adjust for other modifiable cardiovascular disease risk factors, such as smoking, alcohol and depression, to reduce the impact of these risk factors in the analysis," said professor Randi Foraker at Washington University School of Medicine.

Also Read: World Vegan Day 2022: Nutritionists bust myths about consuming plant-based food

This story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed, agencies. Mid-day accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability, trustworthiness, reliability and data of the text. Mid-day management/mid-day.com reserves the sole right to alter, delete or remove (without notice) the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever