Are physically disabled people at high risk of coronary heart disease among disabled population - Evidence from 7.5-year retrospective cohort study

Abstract

Objectives: Previous cross-sectional studies suggested that people with physical disabilities (one of the subgroups of disabled people) are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) than healthy peers. However, a longitudinal cohort of disabled people exhibited a different trend, in which the study populations were similar in health inequalities. We aimed to examine whether physical disability was associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) among disabled people.

Study design and setting: This retrospective cohort study from the Shanghai Health Examination Program included a total of 6419 disabled adults (50.77 [9.88] age) with complete electronic health records and were free of CHD at baseline (2012) were followed-up for a 7.5-year period until 2019. The physical disability and non-physical disability subgroups were characterized based on the Disability Classification and Grading Standard (GB/T 26341-2010). Multivariable Cox regression analyses were used to evaluate adjusted hazard ratios (HR) for subsequent CHD, while Kaplan-Meier curves was used to assess the proportional hazards assumption. We conducted subgroup analyses based on gender, levels of disability, and baseline blood pressure.

Results: Kaplan-Meier analysis revealed a higher incidence of CHD in the physical disability group compared to the non-physical disability group during the 7.5-year follow-up period (P < 0.05). Subjects with physical disabilities exhibited an increased risk for subsequent CHD occurrence (HR: 1.12; 95% CI: 1.03-1.31), compared to the non-physical subgroup after adjustments for confounders. The sensitivity analysis conducted on subgroups according to gender and disability severity indicated that moderate physical disability and female physical disability were associated with a higher prevalence of CHD, which was confirmed by multi-adjusted regression analysis. The spline curves of BP and CHD indicated that the physical disability group displayed lower SBP and DBP thresholds of 120 mmHg and SBP, respectively.

Conclusion: Within the disabled population, individuals with physical disability are at higher risk of developing CHD, and it is plausible that their optimal BP threshold for CHD prevention may need to be set at a lower level. Further research is essential to investigate BP management among individuals with physical disabilities and its influence on cardiovascular-related adverse events.

Keywords: Blood pressure; Coronary heart disease; Physical disability; Retrospective cohort.