Chronic stress from people’s everyday lives may be causing lasting structural changes to heart, harming health and reducing life expectancy. Findings come from study of almost half a million adults in UK, believed to be largest of its kind, led by researchers at MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences LMS and Imperial College London. It finds chronic inflammation, associated with people’s socioeconomic situation and lifestyles, is linked to damaging structural changes in heart, as well as to higher risk of heart attacks and stroke.
Researchers explain these changes may appear years before people experience any cardiovascular symptoms, remaining hidden health threat.
Professor Declan O’Regan, British Heart Foundation Chair of Cardiovascular AI at Imperial College London and Head of Computational Cardiac Imaging Group at LMS, said: “Our study, which is largest of its kind, suggests millions of people could be living with hidden inflammation, which is slowly changing their heart and causing long term damage – increasing risk of heart attack and stroke.”
“Chronic inflammation is complicated, but we know it’s tied to our health and driven by range of lifestyle and economic factors – meaning people may be at more risk just because of their surroundings, their economic status, their family’s health and their lifestyle,” O’Regan added.
“But while tackling health inequalities remains issue, there are things we can do about inflammation, including reducing risk factors like smoking and obesity,” he said.
Chronic Inflammation – Long-Term Low-Level Immune Activation
Chronic inflammation is long-term low-level activation of body’s immune system. It has been linked with range of diseases, including cancer and diabetes, and is increasingly recognised as hidden driver of heart disease.
Unlike acute inflammation that heals injury, chronic low-grade inflammation quietly damages tissues over years without obvious symptoms.
In latest study, researchers analysed UK Biobank data from nearly 480,000 UK adults. They used blood marker known as glycoprotein acetyls GlycA, alongside heart imaging and genetic data, to track inflammation and cardiac changes. GlycA reflects overall inflammatory burden, making it useful for large population studies.
Highest Inflammation Linked To 43% Higher Heart Attack And Stroke Risk
They found people with highest levels of inflammation, top 20%, had 43% higher risk of heart attack and stroke than those with lowest levels, bottom 20%. But in addition, those with higher levels also showed more evidence of structural changes in hearts, including thickened heart walls, smaller heart chambers and poorer heart filling – all changes which may develop quietly for years before progressing to heart failure.
People with persistently higher levels of inflammation faced 43% greater risk even if they had no previously existing heart disease. Therefore, risk exists before symptoms appear.
Higher levels of inflammation were strongly associated with measures of socioeconomic disadvantage and psychological distress, as well as more established risk factors including smoking and excess body fat.
Findings suggest chronic inflammation may be one biological pathway through which everyday life stresses, including poverty and mental health issues, can have biological effects that may increase cardiovascular risk.
Analysis: Social Factors And Mental Health Surprisingly Linked To Heart Damage
Professor Declan O’Regan added: “Surprising thing was how much social factors and mental health are linked to inflammation and damage to heart – as well as more well-known risk factors like smoking and inactivity.”
“There was also strong genetic factor, with some people being naturally more resilient or susceptible to inflammatory damage that comes from different lifestyles,” he said.
However, researchers stress people who are genetically susceptible or exposed to adverse circumstances are not destined to develop heart disease, and much can be done to prevent long term inflammation through lifestyle changes. Study identified key inflammatory proteins from interleukin-1 and TNF families as likely drivers of this damage. Several of these proteins are already being targeted by drugs in clinical trials, raising hopes anti-inflammatory treatments could help prevent cardiovascular disease before symptoms appear.
Findings suggest combining inflammation blood tests like GlycA with genetic risk scores could help identify those most likely to benefit from early intervention.
British Heart Foundation Reacts – Darker Side Of Inflammation
Professor Bryan Williams, Chief Scientific and Medical Officer at British Heart Foundation, said: “Inflammation is part of body’s healing process, but there is also darker side to it.”
“This large-scale study found people with higher levels of inflammation experienced silent changes to structure of their hearts and had higher risk of major cardiac events including heart attacks and strokes,” Williams said.
“Research provides valuable insights into how our genes and lifestyle factors, such as smoking, poor mental health and socioeconomic status, can converge to trigger inflammation. It also identifies several inflammatory proteins that appear to play key role in heart changes linked to chronic inflammation, and it is to be hoped anti-inflammatory medicines could become important tool in preventing cardiovascular disease,” he added.
“These findings reinforce importance of tackling causes of inflammation and poor cardiovascular health, while also supporting people to make lifestyle changes that can help protect their hearts,” Williams concluded.
Q&A
Q: Can chronic stress cause structural changes to heart?
A: Yes, MRC and Imperial study of 480,000 UK adults found chronic inflammation linked to stress, poverty, distress causes thickened walls, smaller chambers, poorer filling years before symptoms.
Q: How much does high inflammation increase heart attack stroke risk?
A: People in top 20% GlycA inflammation had 43% higher risk of heart attack and stroke vs bottom 20%, even without prior heart disease.
Q: What drives hidden inflammation that damages heart?
A: Socioeconomic disadvantage, psychological distress, smoking, excess body fat, plus genetic susceptibility; interleukin-1 and TNF family proteins identified as key drivers.
FAQ
1. How large was chronic stress heart study?
Study analysed UK Biobank data from nearly 480,000 adults, largest of its kind, led by MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences and Imperial College London.
2. What blood marker measured chronic inflammation?
Researchers used glycoprotein acetyls GlycA, alongside heart MRI imaging and genetic data, to track long-term low-level immune activation.
3. What structural heart changes were found?
Thickened heart walls, smaller heart chambers, poorer heart filling – changes that develop quietly for years before heart failure, linked to hidden inflammation.
4. Are anti-inflammatory drugs potential prevention?
Study identified interleukin-1 and TNF family proteins as drivers; several are already targeted by drugs in clinical trials for cardiovascular prevention before symptoms.
5. Can lifestyle reduce chronic inflammation heart risk?
Yes, researchers stress much can be done: reducing smoking, obesity, inactivity, plus addressing mental health and socioeconomic factors, may lower inflammation.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult qualified healthcare professionals or cardiologists for cardiovascular symptoms, stress, smoking cessation, and weight management. Do not start anti-inflammatory medications based on this article.
