Chinese researchers have suggested there is a link between cellphone use and increased risk of heart disease, with the risk running high among smokers and diabetics.
The study authors attribute this link partly to factors such as poor sleep, psychological stress and neuroticism.
“A poor sleep pattern and poor mental health may adversely affect the development of cardiovascular diseases through disrupted circadian rhythm, endocrine and metabolic disruption and increased inflammation,” the researcher involved in the study, Dr. Xianhui Qin, explained.
It should be noted that the study is based on data that was collected almost two decades ago.
The study’s limitations were noted in an editorial published alongside the research in the Canadian Journal of Cardiology on Wednesday.
“Given that the recruitment window of this study (2006-2010) occurred before the widespread use of modern smartphones, which are now more commonly used for other activities (eg, entertainment, text messaging, e-mail, social networking), the generalizability and current relevance of these findings requires careful consideration,” reads the editorial co-written by three researchers from the University of Toronto.
The researchers surveyed 444,000 middle-aged adults between 2006 and 2010 about their phone usage. “Regular” mobile phone use was defined as making or receiving at least one call per week. Among those surveyed, 23% used their phones for an hour or more each week.
Participants were monitored for approximately 12 years, during which researchers analysed hospital and death records to track incidences of stroke, coronary heart disease, atrial fibrillation, and heart failure.
Over 56,000 participants developed cardiovascular disease. Regular mobile phone users, particularly smokers and diabetics, faced a “significantly higher” risk.
Approximately 11.5% of the cases were attributed to psychological distress, 5.1% to poor sleep and 2.25% to neuroticism.
(with inputs from the New York Post)
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