Link Between Childhood Abuse, CVD Risk Factors Varies by Race, Sex

WEDNESDAY, April 27, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- The associations between exposure to abuse in childhood and risk factors for incident cardiovascular disease vary by race and sex, according to a study published online April 27 in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Liliana Aguayo, Ph.D., M.P.H., from the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, and colleagues examined the associations of childhood abuse with four cardiovascular disease risk factors in adulthood (incident obesity, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, and hyperlipidemia) using data from the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study.

The researchers found that compared with no abuse, exposure to occasional/frequent abuse was associated with incident type 2 diabetes among White men (hazard ratio, 1.81). Among White men and White women, exposure to low versus no abuse was associated with incident hyperlipidemia (hazard ratios, 1.35 and 1.26, respectively). Compared with White women who experienced abuse and lived in well-organized households, White women who experienced abuse and lived in dysfunctional households or households with low levels of organization had higher risks for incident hyperlipidemia (hazard ratios, 3.61 and 2.05, respectively). Patterns were similar for Black men who lived in dysfunctional households or households with low organization (hazard ratios, 3.62 and 2.01, respectively).

"These findings demonstrate childhood negative and positive experiences have long-term consequences for adult cardiovascular health and may explain key disparities by race and sex in cardiovascular disease risks," the authors write.

Abstract/Full Text