Risk for MI, Ischemic Stroke Increased for Younger Adults With Mental Disorders

TUESDAY, May 9, 2023 (HealthDay News) — Younger adults with mental disorders have an increased risk for myocardial infarction (MI) and ischemic stroke (IS), according to a study published online April 28 in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology.

Chan Soon Park, from the Seoul National University Hospital in South Korea, and colleagues examined the prognostic association between the risks for MI, IS, and mental disorders in patients aged 20 to 39 years who underwent nationwide health examinations between 2009 and 2012, with follow-up through 2018. A total of 6,557,727 individuals were identified and classified according to mental disorders.

The researchers found that compared with their counterparts, those with mental disorders did not show unfavorable lifestyle behaviors or worse metabolic profiles. A total of 16,133 cases of MI and 10,509 cases of IS occurred during a median follow-up of 7.6 years. Higher risks for MI were seen for patients with mental disorders. In addition, higher risks for IS were seen for patients with mental disorders, except posttraumatic stress disorder and eating disorder. Overall diagnosis of mental disorders and each mental disorder were independently associated with increased cardiovascular end points in adjusted analyses.

“The findings indicate that these individuals should receive regular health checkups and medication if appropriate to prevent myocardial infarction and stroke,” a coauthor said in a statement. “While lifestyle behaviors did not explain the excess cardiovascular risk, this does not mean that healthier habits would not improve prognosis.”

Two authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.