Intellectual disabilities and risk of cardiovascular diseases: A population-based cohort study

Background: While intellectual disability is associated with higher mortality rates due to circulatory diseases, it is unclear whether intellectual disability is associated with higher risk of myocardial infarction (MI) and stroke than the general population. Objectives: We aimed to analyze the risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD), specifically myocardial infarction (MI) and ischemic stroke, and death due to circulatory diseases in individuals with disability. Methods: This retrospective cohort study used data from the National Disability Registration System linked to the Korean National Health Insurance Service database. Individuals who underwent national health examinations in 2009 were followed until 2020. Cox-proportional hazard analyses were performed to estimate the risk of CVD, MI, ischemic stroke, and circulatory disease deaths with adjustment for covariates. Results: A total of 3642 individuals with intellectual disability (mean [SD] age 39.1 [12.6], 28.8 % female) and 3,889,794 individuals without intellectual disability (mean [SD] age 47.1 [13.9], 45.6 % female) were included. Compared to those without intellectual disability, those with intellectual disability had higher risk of CVD (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 1.71, 95 % confidence interval [CI] 1.45–2.02), ischemic stroke (aHR 2.21, 95 % CI 1.81–2.69), and death due to circulatory diseases (aHR 4.20, 95 % CI 3.24–5.45), and a non-significant risk for MI (aHR 1.24, 95 % CI 0.95–1.63) after full adjustment for covariates. Conclusions: Individuals with intellectual disability were at increased risk of CVD, in particular ischemic stroke, and death due to circulatory diseases. Healthcare professionals should be aware of increased CVD risk in individuals with intellectual disability.