A disturbing new study shows the dangers of homelessness. Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco found that people who are homeless face a 16 times higher risk of sudden death from heart attack and other causes.
The study focused on San Francisco County, known for its high concentration of homeless individuals, and found that the rate of sudden cardiac death among this vulnerable population was seven times higher than the general population.
The findings prompted urgent calls for public policy measures and access to life-saving devices such as defibrillators to improve the health and well-being of those living on the streets.
"Homeless people are dying young, with an average age of 50," lead study author Dr. Zian H. Tseng, a cardiologist and professor of medicine at UCSF, said in a university news release. "Our study sheds light on the contribution of sudden death in the homeless population. We found that both cardiac and non-cardiac causes, such as overdoses and unrecognized infections, are much more common among homeless individuals who die suddenly."
"These findings offer several new insights into the profound impact of homelessness on sudden death and its underlying causes," emphasized Dr. Tseng.
The study included a comprehensive analysis of autopsies performed on 868 sudden death victims in the county, 151 of whom were identified as homeless. Notably, homeless individuals were younger, with a median age of 56 years compared to 61 years for housed individuals. They also have a higher proportion of men, more alcohol and drug use, and more common psychiatric illnesses, especially schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
The study found that homeless people most often died of non-cardiac causes, such as drug overdoses, gastrointestinal disorders and infections. In contrast, more arrhythmic causes of sudden death were seen in their homebound counterparts. It is important to note that paramedic response times were similar in both populations.
"Although the high rate of drug use among the homeless population has long been recognized, our study shows its association with early sudden death and its true impact among the homeless," said first author of the study Leila Hagihat, MD, a cardiology specialist at UCSF.
Dr. Hagigat suggests potential public health interventions to address this pressing problem.
"In contrast, people who have found shelter more closely reflect the classic profile of sudden death that modern medical systems aim to resuscitate and prevent," she says. "Public health interventions, such as increasing the availability of automatic external defibrillators and redoubling substance use treatment efforts and targeted immunization efforts, may be helpful in reducing sudden death," says Hagigat. /BGNES
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