New study: Chronic inflammation increases risk of heart attack

Stress is part of everyday life. In the short term, it can help the body deal with challenging situations. However, if the stress becomes permanent, it can affect your health.

A new study now provides evidence that chronic inflammatory processes are linked to long-term changes in the heart. These can develop unnoticed over years and increase the risk of heart attack and stroke.

For the study published in the specialist journal “European Journal of Preventive Cardiology”, scientists from the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) and Imperial College London evaluated data from around 480,000 people in Great Britain.

Among other things, they examined the blood marker glycoprotein acetyl (GlycA), which is a measure of chronic inflammatory processes, as well as cardiac imaging and genetic data.

“What was surprising was how strongly social factors and mental health are linked to inflammation and heart damage, alongside more well-known risk factors such as smoking and lack of exercise,” study leader Declan O’Regan was quoted as saying in a statement.

The researchers found that people with the highest inflammation levels - i.e. the top 20 percent of the group studied - had a 43 percent higher risk of heart attack or stroke than people with the lowest levels.

There were also differences in the structure of the heart. In people with higher levels of inflammation, the scientists found, among other things, thickened heart walls, smaller heart chambers and less filling of the heart. Such changes can develop over years without those affected noticing them and can later contribute to heart failure.

The connection between increased inflammation levels and social and psychological stress was particularly clear. Known risk factors such as smoking and obesity were also associated with higher levels of the inflammatory marker.

“Our study, the largest of its kind, suggests that millions of people could be living with hidden inflammation that is slowly changing their heart and causing long-term damage, increasing the risk of heart attack and stroke,” says O’Regan.

According to the researchers, living conditions also play a role. Socioeconomic status and family health status were associated with the level of chronic inflammation. At the same time, the scientists found evidence that genetic factors influence how susceptible a person is to inflammation-related damage.

“A strong genetic factor also played a role: some people are naturally more resilient or susceptible to the inflammatory damage caused by different lifestyles,” says O’Regan.

Chronic inflammation refers to a persistent, usually low-level activation of the immune system. They are linked to numerous diseases, including cancer, diabetes and cardiovascular disease.