A history of cancer increases the risk of cardiovascular disease in hypertensive patients

A study published in the journal Research on hypertension reveals that having a history of cancer may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease in people with hypertension.

Study: Risk of cancer history in cardiovascular disease among people with hypertension. Image credit: Black Salmon / Shutterstock

background

A growing body of evidence highlights the link between hypertension and cancer, with both hypertension and cancer risks increasing with age, and certain cancer medications increasing the risk of hypertension.

Several epidemiological studies have found that hypertension can increase the risk of certain types of cancer and that people with a history of cancer are more likely to develop cardiovascular complications.

Given the possible link between the risks of hypertension, cardiovascular disease, and cancer, the scientists in this study assessed the risk of cardiovascular disease events in hypertensive individuals with a history of cancer.

Study design

The study population included 747,620 people who were diagnosed with hypertension between January 2005 and May 2022. Patient information was collected from the JMDC claims database, a healthcare database national in Japan.

Appropriate statistical analyzes were performed to determine the risk of composite cardiovascular disease events, including myocardial infarction, angina pectoris, stroke, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation, based on the participant’s history of cancer and chemotherapy.

A history of cancer was defined as the diagnosis of malignancy before the initial health examination.

Self-reported information on comorbidities (obesity, diabetes, and dyslipidemia), alcohol and smoking intake, and physical activity level was collected from participants during the health checkup.

Important observations

A total of 26,531 individuals with a history of cancer were identified from the entire study population of 747,620 participants with hypertension. Participants with a history of cancer were more likely to be older adults, less likely to be male, and more likely to have diabetes. In contrast, participants without a history of cancer were more likely to have obesity and current smoking status.

A total of 67,154 composite cardiovascular disease events were detected during the study follow-up period through May 2022. Hypertensive patients with a history of cancer showed a significantly higher risk of developing composite cardiovascular disease events. However, the risk of developing myocardial infarction was not statistically significant.

The highest risk of developing cardiovascular disease events, except myocardial infarction, was observed among cancer survivors who received chemotherapy compared with those who did not receive chemotherapy or those without a history of cancer.

Regarding myocardial infarction, a higher risk was observed among cancer patients receiving chemotherapy compared with those without a history of cancer.

Five types of cancer, including colorectal cancer, prostate cancer, stomach cancer, kidney, pelvic and ureteral cancer, and lung cancer, showed the highest prevalence in men. In women, the highest prevalence was observed for breast cancer, colorectal cancer, thyroid cancer, uterine corpus cancer and cervical cancer.

A significantly higher risk of composite cardiovascular events was observed among men with a history of lung cancer and women with a history of breast cancer compared with those without a history of cancer.

A sensitivity analysis performed after adjusting for age, sex, smoking status, alcohol intake, and physical inactivity showed a similar positive association between having a history of cancer and the risk of cancer events. composite cardiovascular disease.

Study the importance

The study finds that hypertensive patients with a history of cancer have a higher risk of developing several cardiovascular disease events than those without a history of cancer. The risk of cardiovascular disease events is even greater in cancer patients receiving chemotherapy.

The results of the study highlight the need for early cancer screening in patients with hypertension. Clinicians should manage hypertensive individuals more carefully, as cancer comorbidity not only negatively affects cancer mortality but also significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular disease.

The coexistence of cancer and hypertension is a major public health crisis in Asian countries. The implementation of appropriate health policies is necessary to prevent harmful consequences for cardiovascular health, especially in developing countries with advanced aging.