People with constipation have an increased risk of major cardiac events, including heart attack, stroke and heart failure, especially if they also have high blood pressure, finds an international study published in the American Journal of Physiology-Heart and Circulatory Physiology.
To find out if constipation could be an independent, non-traditional risk factor for cardiovascular disease, researchers analysed data from 4,08,354 people, of whom 23,814 had constipation. People suffering from constipation were more than twice as likely to suffer from a major cardiac event as those without constipation. They are 2.7 times more likely to have heart failure, 2.4 times more likely to suffer a stroke and 1.6 times more likely to have a heart attack or chest pain.
The study also found a strong link between constipation and hypertension. Those with hypertension who also suffered from constipation had a 34 per cent increased risk of major cardiac events compared with those with hypertension alone. “Our research suggests that constipation may exacerbate the cardiovascular risks associated with high blood pressure, further increasing the likelihood of heart attacks and strokes,” the study said.
Researchers also identified genetic correlations between constipation and heart problems. Constipation shares 21 per cent to 27 per cent of genetic variants with heart disease, even though constipation is an inherited trait only about 4 per cent of the time. “With constipation affecting an estimated 14 per cent of the global population, particularly older adults and women, these findings suggest that a significant portion of the population may be at an increased risk of cardiovascular disease due to their bowel health,” the study said.
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