Undeniably, being part of the stressful urban lifestyle has given rise to cardiovascular diseases (CVDs). The situation has turned so grave that now CVDs have become one of the leading causes of death across the globe. While we are well aware that several lifestyle factors contribute to the risk of developing CVDs, rarely have we been told that the risk factors of CVDs shift as we age. A recent study by The Lancet Regional Health Western Pacific revealed how the major modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease increase as we age. This is a large prospective cohort study, which looked into data of almost 2,00,000 Chinese.
In a bid to find out the major modifiable risk factors that can lead to CVDs, the study included adults who were 40 years and above. The data for the findings were collected between 2011 and 2016 with the help of local community clinics and lifestyle questionnaires. The researchers divided the participants into different age cohorts which included 40 to 55, 55 to 65, 65 to 75, and 75+. The researchers did not consider age as the risk factor, but the results exhibit that it does affect other risk factors.
All in all, twelve risk factors were tracked by the researchers, which included socioeconomic and psychosocial factors like inadequate education and depression; metabolic factors like obesity, diabetes, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and chronic kidney disease; and lifestyle factors like smoking, high alcohol intake, physical inactivity, unhealthy diet, and inappropriate sleep duration.
After taking everything into consideration, the study revealed three main risk factors for cardiovascular disease associated with different age cohorts:
- In the age group of 40–55 years, the factors are hypertension, unhealthy diet, and diabetes.
- Next, in the age group of 55-65, the factors include hypertension, unhealthy diet, and inadequate education.
- For those between the ages of 65 to 75 years, the factors that were found were hypertension, inadequate education, and unhealthy diets.
- The research revealed that people aged 75 and above faced the factors like inappropriate sleep duration, low education, and hypertension as their top three risk factors.
- The findings of the study hold immense significance as it helps people in focusing on their potential risk factors before they are diagnosed with CVDs.
