Worrying about money ages the heart

The state of heart It does not depend only on cholesterol, blood pressure or tobacco. The economic and social situation It also leaves its mark on the body and can do so more deeply than previously thought. This is concluded by a new analysis published in Mayo Clinic Procedureswhich points out that the financial pressure and food insecurity They are the main drivers of accelerated biological aging of the heart.

The study focuses on the so-called social determinants of health (SDH)a set of factors ranging from income level to the quality of housing or access to adequate food. Its impact, according to researchers, may surpass that of some traditional risk factors when it comes to explaining cardiovascular deterioration and increased mortality.

The work is based on the analysis of more than 280,000 adult patients treated at the Mayo Clinic (United States) between 2018 and 2023. The researchers estimated the so-called “heart age“through a electrocardiogram supported by artificial intelligence (ECG-AI)capable of detecting whether the heart is biologically older than the person to whom it belongs.

A large difference between the real age and the heart age indicates increased risk of future cardiovascular diseaseeven in people who, on paper, do not present major clinical problems. “There are social factors that we do not identify or investigate in our patients and that could reverse biological aging,” warns the doctor. Amir Lermanfrom the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at Mayo Clinic.

Beyond the classic factors

To measure the weight of social determinants, the team used a questionnaire that analyzes nine key areas: stress, physical activity, social connection, housing stability, economic hardship, food insecurity, transportation needs, nutrition and education.

The interaction of these social factors was more decisive in heart aging than conventional clinical risks. In particular, financial stress and difficulty accessing adequate food stood out as the most harmful elements, both in men and women.

Other aspects such as housing instability or physical inactivity They were also associated with an increased risk of mortality, at levels comparable to or even higher than some traditional medical factors.

A growing challenge for an aging population

The study is framed in a context of increased life expectancy and increased burden of chronic diseasesespecially among older people. In the last decade, primary care has begun to focus not only on living longer, but on live them with a better quality of life.

“This change has also driven the search for new measures of biological aging,” explains Lerman, who highlights the usefulness of non-invasive tools such as the ECG with artificial intelligence to detect hidden risks.

The authors of the work defend that Identify the social factors that age the heart the most opens the door to more effective preventive interventions, both from the health system and from the community.

“Identifying the most important risk factors for cardiac aging allows for targeted preventive intervention in the community and empowers clinicians to engage in patient-centered care, addressing social context that contributes to heart disease“concludes the researcher.