Sudden drop in Personal Income linked to Heart Attack, Death: AHA study

A sudden drop in Personal Income is associated with increased risk of Heart Attack, stroke and death according to a new study.

The study published in the journal Circulation has reported that fluctuations in personal income were significantly associated with nearly double the risk of death and more than double the risk for cardiovascular diseases, such as heart attacks, strokes, heart failure or death during the following 10 years compared to a similar group of people with less fluctuation in personal income.

Read Also: Owning a Pet may Reduce Heart Disease Risk

The study found that the Women and African-Americans were more likely to experience high-income volatility and income drops than white men and sudden unpredictable drops in personal income during young adulthood was associated with an increased risk of developing heart disease and/or dying from any cause.

"Income volatility presents a growing public health threat, especially when federal programs, which are meant to help absorb unpredictable income changes, are undergoing continuous changes, and mostly cuts," said study lead author Tali Elfassy, Ph.D., assistant professor at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Florida.

"While this study is observational in nature and certainly not an evaluation of such programs, our results do highlight that large negative changes in income may be detrimental to heart health and may contribute to premature death," Elfassy said.

The study analyzed data from the ongoing Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study that is following 3,937 people living in four diverse U.S. cities - Birmingham, Alabama; Minneapolis, Minnesota; Chicago, Illinois; and Oakland, California. Participants were aged 23-35 years old in 1990 when the study began.

Read Also: Sleeping less than 5 hours doubles risk of Heart disease : ESC Update

The researchers collected data on changes in income in five assessments from 1990 to 2005. They measured income volatility as the percent change in income from one measurement to the next, and income drop as a decrease of 25 percent or more from the previous assessment. Between 2005 and 2015, the researchers assessed fatal and non-fatal cardiovascular events and all causes of death using medical records and death certificates.

The study was not able to determine the cause of the association between income volatility and health because it was observational and not designed to prove cause and effect.

For full information log on to

https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.118.035521