Malaria can significantly raise the risk of heart failure: Study
| Sep 3, 2019, 13:23 IST
A new study warns malaria can increase the risk of heart failure by 30 per cent. According to the World Health Organisation (WH), mosquito-borne disease affects close to 219 million people across the globe annually.
"We have seen an increase in the incidence of malaria cases and what is intriguing is that we have seen the same increase in cardiovascular disease in the same regions," study author Philip Brainin, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Herlev-Gentofte University Hospital in Denmark, told a news portal. Adding, "Even though we have taken preventive measures to decrease the malaria numbers, it remains a major burden."
For the study, the team examined data from the Danish nationwide registries between 1994 and 2017 to spot those who have a history with malaria. They identified the diseases in close to34 and 58 per cent of the male subjects.
Follow-up results showed 60 of those cases also suffered from heart failure. Researchers say these numbers are relatively higher compared to the general population. "These patients had a 30 per cent increased likelihood of developing heart failure over the follow-up time," Brainin told a news portal.
While more research is needed to back up these findings, some other studies also suggest malaria can have an impact on functional and structural changes in the myocardium -the muscle tissue of the heart. Previous studies also indicate malaria can have an impact on the blood pressure regulatory system, which causes hypertension and can result in heart failure. Malaria can also have an impact on vascular pathways that can increase inflammation in the heart, which can lead to heart failure.
When combined, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and coronary artery disease can lead to heart failure, according to the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). The study's findings were presented at the ESC Congress 2019 with the World Congress of Cardiology in Paris.
Meanwhile, previous research has also found heart failure can lead to depression. “Human patients with heart failure often have neurological conditions such as cognitive impairment and depression,” Martino, working in the field of circadian medicine, told a news portal.
Picture Courtesy: Google Images
"We have seen an increase in the incidence of malaria cases and what is intriguing is that we have seen the same increase in cardiovascular disease in the same regions," study author Philip Brainin, a postdoctoral research fellow at the Herlev-Gentofte University Hospital in Denmark, told a news portal. Adding, "Even though we have taken preventive measures to decrease the malaria numbers, it remains a major burden."
For the study, the team examined data from the Danish nationwide registries between 1994 and 2017 to spot those who have a history with malaria. They identified the diseases in close to34 and 58 per cent of the male subjects.
Follow-up results showed 60 of those cases also suffered from heart failure. Researchers say these numbers are relatively higher compared to the general population. "These patients had a 30 per cent increased likelihood of developing heart failure over the follow-up time," Brainin told a news portal.
While more research is needed to back up these findings, some other studies also suggest malaria can have an impact on functional and structural changes in the myocardium -the muscle tissue of the heart. Previous studies also indicate malaria can have an impact on the blood pressure regulatory system, which causes hypertension and can result in heart failure. Malaria can also have an impact on vascular pathways that can increase inflammation in the heart, which can lead to heart failure.
When combined, high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity, and coronary artery disease can lead to heart failure, according to the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). The study's findings were presented at the ESC Congress 2019 with the World Congress of Cardiology in Paris.
Meanwhile, previous research has also found heart failure can lead to depression. “Human patients with heart failure often have neurological conditions such as cognitive impairment and depression,” Martino, working in the field of circadian medicine, told a news portal.
Picture Courtesy: Google Images