Background: Cardiovascular disease has become the leading cause of death worldwide, but there is a lack of data on whether cardiovascular health (CVH) is associated with elderly mortality in China. We investigated the relationship between the ideal CVH score of Chinese elderly and the all-cause mortality.
Methods: The Beijing Elderly Comprehensive Health Cohort Study included a total of 4,499 participants aged 60 years and above. The CVH metric was calculated at baseline and had a score ranging from 0 to 12. The relationship of CVH metrics with all-cause mortality was investigated using Cox proportional hazard regression analysis. The robustness of results was tested using subgroup and sensitivity analysis.
Results: The median CVH score among participants was 8.00 (2.00), with only 8.0% scoring 11-12 points. 667 deaths were observed during an average follow-up time of 8.2 years. Participants with a CVH score of 11-12 had a decreased risk of all-cause mortality when compared to those with a CVH score of 0-4(HR = 0.584, 95% CI: 0.373-0.913). Participants had a 7.5% lower risk of all-cause death with each unit higher CVH score (HR = 0.925, 95%CI: 0.885-0.967) with a linearly decreasing trend (P nonlinear = 0.575). The relationships were greater in younger elderly people and stroke patients (P interaction = 0.011 and 0.037. respectively). The consistency of significant trends in sensitivity analysis shows the robustness of association (P trend < 0.001).
Conclusions: Among the Chinese elderly, there was a linear relationship between improving CVH scores and a lower risk of all-cause mortality. Because of the enormous benefits brought by one point, strategies are essential for improving cardiovascular health attainment.
Trial registration: This study was registered at China Clinical Trial Registration Center (ChiCTR2100049866).
Keywords: All-cause mortality; Cardiovascular health; Cohort study; Elderly.
© 2023. The Author(s).