Childhood Abuse Linked to Heart Disease

(July 23, 2010) - Children who are abused (Read about "Violence & Abuse") suffer throughout their lives. Childhood physical abuse is associated with significantly elevated rates of heart disease (Read about "Coronary Heart Disease") in adulthood, according to new findings published in the journal Child Abuse & Neglect.

"Individuals who reported they had been physically abused as children had 45 per cent higher odds of heart disease than their peers who had not been abused, despite the fact we had adjusted for most of the known risk factors for heart disease," says one of the researchers Esme Fuller-Thomson.

The childhood abuse and heart disease link persisted even after controlling for health behaviors such as smoking, obesity and physical activity level (Read about "Quit Smoking" "Obesity" "Getting Started on Fitness"), as well as other adverse childhood experiences such as parental addictions, adult income and education level, diabetes, self-reported stress and a history of high blood pressure and mood disorders. (Read about "Addiction" "Diabetes" "Stress" "Hypertension: High Blood Pressure" "Depressive Illnesses")

Over 13,000 people were part of the study.

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