Cancer survivors have been found to have an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Dr. Roberta Florido of Johns Hopkins University in the United States analyzed the cardiovascular disease incidence rate in cancer survivors using large-scale study data and published it in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
In the study, a history of cancer was found to be an independent factor from existing cardiovascular disease risk factors such as drinking, smoking, and obesity. The data used in the study were from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities (ARIC) Study, a large prospective cohort study.
The study participants were 12,000 people (average age 54). Cardiovascular diseases, such as coronary heart disease, heart failure, and stroke, were analyzed for 13.6 years (median). During the analysis period, 3,250 people developed cancer.
After adjusting for age, the incidence of cardiovascular disease per thousand years was higher among cancer survivors (23.1 vs. 21.4). When the patient background, such as gender, was further adjusted, there was a 42% increase in cancer survivors. Even following adjusting for existing risk factors, it was found to be 37% higher.
“As the relationship between cancer and cardiovascular disease is independent of existing risk factors, we need to pay attention to the common risk factors for cancer and cardiovascular disease,” he concluded. .
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