There is growing evidence that caregivers of patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD) are at risk of developing their own poor cardiovascular health. The researchers report in the Canadian Journal of Cardiologyon a proof-of-concept couple intervention in a cardiac rehabilitation context.

This intervention has shown potential to reduce caregiver distress, and future studies are evaluating its impact on the cardiovascular health of caregivers and patients.

Nearly half of Canadians took care of family and friends, with similar numbers in the United States and Europe.

However, despite addressing these issues, few approaches have been effective in reducing caregiver stress. This need is expected to increase as pressure on “cardiac” caregivers is expected to increase over the next decade as the population ages, length of hospital stay decreases, and disease cardiovascular diseases and associated risk factors continue to increase.

“It’s very clear that caregivers need better support!” said principal investigator Heather Tulloch, PhD, Division of Cardiac Prevention and Rehabilitation, University of Ottawa Heart Institute (UOHI) and University of Ottawa, Ottawa, ON, Canada.

First author Karen Bouchard, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow in Behavioral Medicine at the UOHI, added: “Caregivers are essential to managing the cardiovascular health of patients and are an invaluable health resource, contributing greatly to the health care system. . who care for their partners may pose additional cardiovascular risk – a risk that must be recognized and addressed.

In this narrative review, researchers examine evidence from the fields of health psychology and relationship science and highlight direct (e.g., physiological) and indirect (e.g., behavioral, emotional) factors. caregiver distress with the caregivers’ own cardiovascular risk.

For example, caregivers are more likely to continue smoking and be less physically active than people who provide no or little care; their diet tends to be high in saturated fat, leading to higher body mass indices; they spend less time on self-care activities and report poor preventive health behaviors; experience less sleep or disturbances; and demonstrate poor medication compliance.

THE assisting spouse have higher levels of symptoms depressedphysical and financial burden, relationship strain, and lower levels of positive psychological well-being compared to those caring for adult children, for example.