Scientists have linked functional aging to heart health

The functional state of the body can deteriorate many years before the onset of cardiovascular disease. This conclusion was reached by researchers from Monash University, who analyzed 14-year-old data from more than 12 thousand elderly people and compared changes in fragility, functionality and physical quality of life in those who subsequently experienced cardiovascular events, and in participants without them. About what signs appeared long before the disease, see the Izvestia article.

10 years before the event, there are already noticeable differences

The researchers examined data from 12,015 participants. The group included 2,403 people who had a cardiovascular event during follow-up, and 9,612 comparable participants without such events. The average age of the participants was 76.4 years.

In people who subsequently experienced cardiovascular disease, the indicators of their functional state were worse already about 10 years before the event. They were characterized by higher fragility, lower functional capacity of the body and lower physical quality of life compared to the participants of the control group.

The difference became especially noticeable in the last five years before the event: in future patients, the deterioration occurred faster, while in participants without cardiovascular events, the changes were less pronounced.

Fragility grew faster, and this was evident from two estimates

The work of researchers from Monash University, published in JAMA Cardiology, included two assessments of fragility — the fragility index and the Frieda fragility phenotype. In addition, scientists annually assessed the internal functional potential of the body and the physical quality of life.

Participants who later had a cardiovascular event progressed faster to more pronounced frailty over time. According to the fragility index, the indicator increased at a higher rate than in the control group. A similar trend was observed in the evaluation of the Fried phenotype.

At the same time, it was not about one dimension, which could turn out to be accidentally bad. The study tracked the trajectories of changes over the years, so scientists were able to see precisely the gradual deterioration of the functional state before the disease.

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Functionality decreased along with the quality of life

Another indicator is the so—called internal functional state - a set of abilities related to cognitive functions, movement, vital activity and psychological state. It was also evaluated annually.

In people who later experienced cardiovascular events, this indicator decreased faster. At the same time, the physical quality of life deteriorated, that is, the ability to maintain daily physical functioning. Thus, the changes affected several aspects of the functional state of the body at once. The authors consider such dynamics as a possible manifestation of the gradual aging of several body systems simultaneously.

The timing was not the same for different heart diseases.

The time frame varied depending on the type of cardiovascular event. The earliest discrepancy between the groups was observed in participants who subsequently experienced heart failure or died of coronary heart disease: the differences could be noticeable at least 10 years before the event.

In myocardial infarction and stroke, the trajectories began to diverge later. At the same time, the general trend remained similar: before the cardiovascular event, functional indicators deteriorated faster. This distinction is important because the results do not show a single time interval that equally precedes all cardiovascular diseases.

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Multi—system aging is a possible explanation

The authors of the study suggested that the observed deterioration in functional parameters may reflect the gradual aging of several body systems, which becomes noticeable even before the clinical manifestation of cardiovascular disease. In their opinion, such dynamics may indicate a prolonged period when health changes can be observed more closely.

Monash University specifically emphasized that a certain decrease in physical abilities is a normal part of aging. Therefore, it may not be the fact of deterioration itself that matters, but its acceleration and consistency over time. The study's lead author, Aung Zaw Zaw Phyo, noted that it is the progressive decline in function, rather than a separate measurement, that may deserve more attention.

The connection was discovered long before the event, but the causality has not been established.

The researchers compared the long-term trajectories of functional status in people who later experienced cardiovascular events, and in a comparable group without them. This approach makes it possible to identify a link between changes in the functional state and subsequent diseases, but by itself does not prove that functional deterioration causes a cardiovascular event.

The researchers note that the data obtained can help study earlier health changes before a clinically noticeable cardiovascular disease. However, the results do not mean that any decrease in physical function indicates a future heart attack, stroke, or other specific event.