A new study published in PLOS Medicine has shown that having a heart attack may significantly increase the risk of developing other health conditions.
The cohort study included data from a total of over 34 million individuals aged 18 years or older who were admitted to one of 229 National Health Service (NHS) Trusts in England between 1 January 2008 and 31 January 2017. Eleven non-fatal major health outcomes were analyzed in the population as well as all-cause mortality. These outcomes were tracked and separated for people who had heart attacks and those who did not have heart attacks. The goal of the study was to see how having a heart attack effects the risk of developing other major health conditions.
The results showed that having a heart attack increased the subsequent risk of developing heart failure, atrial fibrillation, stroke, peripheral arterial disease, severe bleeding, kidney failure, type 2 diabetes, and depression. The three conditions with the most significantly increased risk following the heart attack were heart failure, kidney failure, and atrial fibrillation. Interestingly, the risk of developing cancer was lower in those who had a heart attack compared to those who did not. The risk of developing dementia was not significantly different for the two groups. In addition, the results showed that those with lower socioeconomic status were more likely to develop health conditions or die following a heart attack. When split by sex, women were more likely than men to develop depression following a heart attack.
The authors noted that this study provides important new information for heart attack survivors. By utilizing this information, survivors can become more aware of their future health risks and mitigate those risks through treatment and lifestyle changes.
Sources: PLOS Medicine, Science Daily
