(Press-News.org) Contact information: George Hunka
ghunka@aftau.org
212-742-9070
American Friends of Tel Aviv University
Heart attacks hit poor the hardest
Tel Aviv University researchers show that socioeconomic status is predictor of higher risk of disease and death after an attack
As people get older, their bodies wear down and become less resilient. In old age, it's common for people to become "clinically frail," and this "frailty syndrome" is emerging in the field of public health as a powerful predictor of healthcare use and death.
Now researchers Vicki Myers and Prof. Yariv Gerber of the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine at the School of Public Health at Tel Aviv University's Sackler Faculty of Medicine and colleagues have found that poor people are more than twice as likely as the wealthy to become frail after a heart attack. The findings, published in the International Journal of Cardiology, could help doctors and policymakers improve post-heart-attack care for the poor.
"By defining frailty, which combines many areas of medicine, we can predict which people are at the highest risk after a heart attack," said Ms. Myers. "And we found a strong connection between frailty and socioeconomic status."
Prof. Uri Goldbourt of the Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine at the School of Public Health and Prof. Yaacov Drory of the Department of Rehabilitation at TAU's Sackler Faculty of Medicine collaborated on the study. Prof. Drory, the founder of the Israel Study of First Acute Myocardial Infarction, passed away last month. His colleagues remember him as a dedicated cardiologist and researcher, who published numerous papers and books and made a great contribution to the field of heart attack and cardiac rehabilitation.
The weakest among us
Because the definition of frailty covers physical, psychological, and functional aspects, it can be effectively diagnosed by looking at the accumulation of health problems in any given individual. Ms. Myers and her colleagues created an index of 40 health-related variables, which in a previous study were shown to be effective in diagnosing frailty in heart attack patients.
Using medical records and interviews, the researchers applied the index to 1,151 patients who had suffered heart attacks in central Israel from 10 to 13 years prior to the study. The most frequent health problems were type-2 diabetes, physical inactivity, lack of energy, work limitations, limitation climbing stairs, and self-rated health deterioration. The index also assessed the presence of a range of diseases, significant weight loss, limitations to activities of daily living, anxiety, depression, and pain.
The researchers found that 35 percent of the patients in the study had become frail in the decade following their heart attack. The frail patients were more likely to have suffered a severe heart attack and to have been older and obese when they were first evaluated in 1992 to 1993, just after their heart attacks. They were also more likely to have had a lower socioeconomic status (with fewer years of education and lower family income), to have been unemployed, and to have lived a neighborhood in one of Israel's lowest socioeconomic categories.
Surprisingly, despite being sicker in general, frail patients were less likely to have been admitted to intensive care, to have undergone surgery, or to have been prescribed certain medications commonly prescribed after a heart attack. These findings, the researchers say, may reflect poorer access to healthcare among the poor. "Not only was low income associated with twice the risk of becoming frail, living in a deprived neighborhood was linked to a 60 percent increased risk of frailty compared to living in a wealthy neighborhood, irrespective of personal circumstances," Myers said.
A holistic view of the heart
Low socioeconomic status has been shown to contribute to poor health in various ways. In general, poor people have less access to healthcare, lower health literacy, and a higher prevalence of risk factors, like smoking, inactivity, and unhealthy diet. But despite an abundance of theories, it remains uncertain exactly how socioeconomic status affects health after a heart attack in particular.
By providing some of the first compelling evidence linking socioeconomic status to frailty after a heart attack, Ms. Myers and her colleagues hope to provide doctors and decision-makers a solid basis on which to make healthcare decisions. They recommend initiatives to prevent frailty after a heart attack among high-risk groups, and additional healthcare services in disadvantaged areas to address socioeconomic inequalities, with a particular emphasis on cardiac rehabilitation. They also say doctors should take a more holistic view of patients after a heart attack to help prevent frailty and its associated risks.
###
American Friends of Tel Aviv University supports Israel's leading, most comprehensive and most sought-after center of higher learning, Tel Aviv University (TAU). Rooted in a pan-disciplinary approach to education, TAU is internationally recognized for the scope and groundbreaking nature of its research and scholarship — attracting world-class faculty and consistently producing cutting-edge work with profound implications for the future. TAU is independently ranked 116th among the world's top universities and #1 in Israel. It joins a handful of elite international universities that rank among the best producers of successful startups.
Heart attacks hit poor the hardest
Tel Aviv University researchers show that socioeconomic status is predictor of higher risk of disease and death after an attack
2014-01-08
ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:
The ironic (and surprising) effects of weight stigma
2014-01-08
The ironic (and surprising) effects of weight stigma
UCSB psychology professor finds that messages designed to encourage weight loss may actually have the opposite effect
(Santa Barbara, Calif.) — If you're one of the millions of people who ...
Penn biologists establish new method for studying RNA's regulatory 'footprint'
2014-01-08
Penn biologists establish new method for studying RNA's regulatory 'footprint'
Increasingly, biologists have come to realize that RNA is not merely a transitional state between DNA and proteins but plays a major role in determining whether and how genes ...
Scripps Florida scientists identify possible key to drug resistance in Crohn's disease
2014-01-08
Scripps Florida scientists identify possible key to drug resistance in Crohn's disease
JUPITER, FL, January 7, 2014 – Two-thirds to three-quarters of the estimated 700,000 Americans living with Crohn's disease, an autoimmune condition that can disrupt the entire ...
Massive exoplanets may be more Earth-like than thought
2014-01-08
Massive exoplanets may be more Earth-like than thought
'Super-Earths' likely to have both oceans and continents
Massive terrestrial planets, called "super-Earths," are known to be common in our galaxy, the Milky Way. Now a Northwestern University astrophysicist ...
Many small exoplanets found to be covered in gas
2014-01-08
Many small exoplanets found to be covered in gas
New measurements of mass expand knowledge of exoplanets' compositions
During its four-year mission, NASA's Kepler space telescope discovered thousands of "planetary candidates" in our Milky Way galaxy -- the vast ...
Sugar-sweetened beverage tax could reduce obesity and type 2 diabetes in India
2014-01-08
Sugar-sweetened beverage tax could reduce obesity and type 2 diabetes in India
A sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) tax could help mitigate the rise in obesity and type 2 diabetes rates in India among both urban and rural populations, according to a study published this week ...
Link found between intimate partner violence and termination of pregnancy
2014-01-08
Link found between intimate partner violence and termination of pregnancy
Intimate partner violence in women (sometimes referred to as domestic violence) is linked to termination of pregnancy, according to a study by UK researchers published in this week's PLOS Medicine. ...
50 years of tobacco control significantly extended lives of 8 million Americans
2014-01-08
50 years of tobacco control significantly extended lives of 8 million Americans
Former smoker John Hilburn says a cigarette warning label and costs prompted him to kick the habit 30 years ago
WASHINGTON — The Surgeon General's report of 1964 which outlined, for the ...
Despite declines in smoking rates, number of smokers and cigarettes rises
2014-01-08
Despite declines in smoking rates, number of smokers and cigarettes rises
Population growth since 1980 drives increases in countries including China and Russia while Canada, Mexico, and the United States see strong declines
SEATTLE — Globally, smoking ...
Research shows molecular, protein targeting therapies may be best treatment for certain lung cancer
2014-01-08
Research shows molecular, protein targeting therapies may be best treatment for certain lung cancer
CINCINNATI—University of Cincinnati (UC) Cancer Institute researchers have found that using therapies specifically targeting the molecular profile ...
LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:
Mysterious ‘Dark Dwarfs’ may be hiding at the heart of the Milky Way
Real-world data shows teclistamab can benefit many multiple myeloma patients who would have been ineligible for pivotal trial
Scientists reveal how a key inflammatory molecule triggers esophageal muscle contraction
Duration of heat waves accelerating faster than global warming
New mathematical insights into Lagrangian turbulence
Clinical trials reveal promising alternatives to high-toxicity tuberculosis drug
Artificial solar eclipses in space could shed light on Sun
Probing the cosmic Dark Ages from the far side of the Moon
UK hopes to bolster space weather forecasts with Europe's first solar storm monitor
Can one video change a teen's mindset? New study says yes - but there’s a catch
How lakes connect to groundwater critical for resilience to climate change, research finds
Youngest basaltic lunar meteorite fills nearly one billion-year gap in Moon’s volcanic history
Cal Poly Chemistry professor among three U.S. faculty to be honored for contributions to chemistry instruction
Stoichiometric crystal shows promise in quantum memory
Study sheds light on why some prostate tumors are resistant to treatment
Tree pollen reveals 150,000 years of monsoon history—and a warning for Australia’s northern rainfall
Best skin care ingredients revealed in thorough, national review
MicroRNA is awarded an Impact Factor Ranking for 2024
From COVID to cancer, new at-home test spots disease with startling accuracy
Now accepting submissions: Special Collection on Cognitive Aging
Young adult literature is not as young as it used to be
Can ChatGPT actually “see” red? New results of Google-funded study are nuanced
Turning quantum bottlenecks into breakthroughs
Cancer-fighting herpes virus shown to be an effective treatment for some advanced melanoma
Eliminating invasive rats may restore the flow of nutrients across food chain networks in Seychelles
World’s first: Lithuanian scientists’ discovery may transform OLED technology and explosives detection
Rice researchers develop superstrong, eco-friendly materials from bacteria
Itani studying translation potential of secure & efficient software updates in industrial internet of things architectures
Elucidating the source process of the 2021 south sandwich islands tsunami earthquake
Zhu studying use of big data in verification of route choice models
[Press-News.org] Heart attacks hit poor the hardestTel Aviv University researchers show that socioeconomic status is predictor of higher risk of disease and death after an attack