Young adults suffering from mental illnesses have a higher chance of also getting heart attacks and stroke.
A new study found out that adults who are suffering from any kind of mental health issues or disorders in their 20s or 30s are a higher risk of also experiencing heart attacks or stroke. This study was published by the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology on Monday. The study is based on the research findings from the health data of 6.5 million people through the Korean National Health Insurance Service database.
People from a specific age group were included in the study and they underwent multiple examinations between the year2009 and 2012. The health of the people between the age group 20 to 39 was closely monitored till December 2018 for new symptoms of stroke or heart attacks. The results showed that almost 30 per cent of the people in this group was suffering from either one of the mental health illnesses like insomnia, anxiety, depression, somatoform disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorder, eating disorders, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia or a personality disorder.
What Do Experts Say?
Experts say that there are many reasons why people suffering from mental health problems also become prone to other health issues especially heart attacks or stroke. Firstly, a chronically depressed person takes very little care of their health. They certainly do not pay attention like a healthy normal person does on a daily basis. This lack of attention to health can start with days and stretch on to weeks or months. This habit is bound to mess with overall health. It can lead to increased cholesterol level, cardiac events, high blood pressure, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, chronic kidney disease, etc.
Other lifestyle during a depressive mental state also impact heart health. Some of the bad habits that adults of this age group have are smoking, addiction to alcohol and also already existing health problems like increased cholesterol level, cardiac events, high blood pressure, diabetes, metabolic syndrome, chronic kidney disease, income problems, etc.
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Lifestyle Should Not Be Ignored, Says Experts
Preexisting health problems is certainly one reason why the rate of cardiac problems among young adults is so high. However, lifestyle factors should not be ignored as they have been getting worse over the years due to stress. Dr. Eue-Keun Choi, a professor of internal medicine at Seoul National University College of Medicine in South Korea says the same point. He states in the published study that, while lifestyle behaviors did not explain the excess cardiovascular risk, this does not mean that healthier habits would not improve prognosis. Lifestyle modification should therefore be recommended to young adults with mental disorders to boost heart health.
There is a serious requirement of monitoring cases such as people suffering from various kinds of mental health problems. Experts note that, if by monitoring such cases they are able to reduce the number of people living their lives with chronic mental health problems, they might have a chance to also reduce the risk of cardiac-related conditions in the future years.
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