Reducing Heart Disease Deaths Linked to Substance Use
You might not associate drugs and alcohol with heart problems, but research reveals a growing link. An article in the Journal of the American Heart Association reports substance use is increasingly tied to deaths from cardiac arrest and strokes. Heart disease is still the number one killer of Americans–claiming more than twice as many lives as cancer, the second leading cause of death, and accidents including overdoses, the third category on that list.
The study found that 65 percent of cardiovascular disease deaths were related to alcohol, followed by opioids (13.7 percent), cocaine (9.8 percent), stimulants (6.5 percent), sedatives (4.1 percent) and cannabis (0.5 percent).
“Substance use disorders increase the risk of heart disease, yet stigma prevents many from seeking care,” said Keaura Looney, a project manager with the CDC Foundation’s Overdose Data to Action (OD2A) initiative. OD2A provides staff to local communities to help support data collection, leading to more effective response activities across the country. “By integrating prevention, harm reduction and increasing access to treatment, we can save lives and promote recovery,” Looney added. For example, people who access addiction treatment could also be offered screening for cardiovascular issues.
OD2A is just one of several CDC Foundation-supported efforts aimed at aiding local communities reduce deaths from overdose and substance use. The Overdose Response Strategy (ORS) program is making an impact by bringing together public health analysts from the CDC Foundation and drug intelligence officers in states and jurisdictions nationwide to focus on information sharing and supporting proven approaches to address overdoses and emerging drug threats.
Above: Keaura Looney, OD2A project manager
The Foundation’s MDI Connect project provides assistance in upgrading electronic data sharing between medical examiners, coroners’ offices and public health departments to access accurate cause of death data, including overdose fatalities.
Referencing this kind of information is key to understanding how different substances relate to deadly cardiac issues. Excessive alcohol consumption can cause high blood pressure, stroke and cardiomyopathy, a disorder affecting the heart muscle. It can also lead to obesity–another major factor for cardiovascular disease. Drug injections can increase the risk of serious heart infections, called endocarditis, and opioids and synthetic opioids, like fentanyl, can interfere with the heart’s electrical signals, dangerously slowing or interrupting its normal rhythm.
The American Heart Association article reports that between 1999-2019, cardiovascular deaths associated with substance use saw a notable rise among women, American Indian or Alaskan Native individuals, younger people, rural-area residents and users of cannabis and psychostimulants, like amphetamines and cocaine. The study indicates that identifying these high-risk groups is critical for prioritizing preventive measures to reduce substance use linked with cardiovascular disease deaths.
To carry out their study, researchers reviewed data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)’s Wide-Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (WONDER) database, which collects death certificate statistics from across the U.S. As the threat of substance-related heart disease continues to rise, the study demonstrates the vital role that accurate death data plays in helping local agencies and organizations allocate resources where they are needed most to save lives.
