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A modest protective association between pet ownership and cardiovascular diseases: A systematic review and

Tzu-Lin Yeh1,2, Wei-Te Lei3,4, Shu-Jung Liu5

  • 1Department of Family Medicine, Hsinchu MacKay Memorial Hospital, Hsinchu City, Taiwan.

Plos One
|May 4, 2019
PubMed

Insights

Pet ownership does not impact overall cardiovascular mortality or disease risk. However, it is linked to reduced cardiovascular mortality in the general population and lower cardiovascular disease risk in those with existing conditions.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Public Health
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) remain a leading cause of mortality globally.
  • The potential impact of lifestyle factors, such as pet ownership, on cardiovascular health is an area of ongoing research.
  • Understanding these associations can inform public health strategies and individual health choices.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To systematically investigate the relationship between pet ownership and cardiovascular (CV) outcomes, including all-cause mortality, CV mortality, and the risk of specific cardiovascular diseases.
  • To synthesize evidence from existing studies to provide a comprehensive overview of the current research landscape.

Main Methods:

  • A systematic review and meta-analysis of studies identified through comprehensive searches of major biomedical databases (PubMed, EMBASE, CINAHL, Cochrane).
  • Inclusion criteria focused on publications examining the association between pet ownership and cardiovascular mortality and morbidity.
  • Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale.

Main Results:

  • The review included 12 studies with nearly 500,000 participants, followed for an average of 8.7 years.
  • Overall, pet ownership showed no significant association with adjusted all-cause mortality, CV mortality, or the risk of cardiovascular disease, myocardial infarction, or stroke.
  • Subgroup analyses revealed a significant association between pet ownership and lower adjusted CV mortality in the general population and a reduced CVD risk in patients with established CVD.

Conclusions:

  • Pet ownership is not generally associated with improved cardiovascular mortality or reduced risk of major cardiovascular events across the population.
  • However, a potential benefit exists for reduced cardiovascular mortality in the general population and decreased cardiovascular disease risk among individuals with pre-existing cardiovascular conditions.
  • Further research may be warranted to elucidate the mechanisms behind these specific associations.
Abstract

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