PEOPLE with mental health disorders are at an increased risk of acute coronary syndrome (ACS), which includes heart attacks and unstable angina, according to research published yesterday in JAMA Psychiatry.
Data based on 25 previous studies including more than 22 million people revealed that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression and anxiety, and sleep disorders are all linked with an increased risk of ACS, with the link strongest for PTSD and sleep disorders.
Meanwhile, links between bipolar and schizophrenia-spectrum disorders and ACS were less robust, they said.
"Building on existing literature, our review reaffirms mental disorders as a potential risk factor for cardiovascular disease, namely ACS and acute myocardial infarction," they wrote.
"Mental disorders likely mediate ACS through traditional vascular risk factors, a genetic link to coronary artery disease, proinflammatory states, exaggerated physiologic responses to acute stressors (for example, increased sympathoadrenal hyperactivity), and their sequelae (for example, increased plasma catecholamines, vasoconstriction, platelet activation)."
The team speculated that in some disorders, coping strategies and unhealthy behaviours such as smoking may contribute.
In addition, certain medications, especially antipsychotic drugs, are associated with traditional vascular risk factors including weight gain, lipid abnormalities, insulin resistance, and direct cardiac adverse effects.
"Although our results do not warrant changes in diagnostic strategies for patients with mental disorders, it is imperative that physicians remain objective and continue to provide high-quality physical health care to patients with mental disorders," the researchers concluded.
Read the paper HERE. KB
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