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A nationwide case-control study on cardiovascular and respiratory-related disorders in patients with gambling
Y Abdul Rahim1, F Fernandez-Aranda2, S Jimenez-Murcia2
1Helsingborg Hospital, Skåne Region, Helsingborg, Sweden; Malmö Addiction Center, Clinical Research Unit, Skåne Region, Malmö, Sweden; Department of Clinical Sciences Lund, Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Lund, Sweden.
Insights
Individuals with gambling disorder (GD) have higher rates of cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, obesity, and respiratory issues. Women with GD show increased susceptibility to these conditions compared to men.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Clinical Medicine
- Psychiatry
Background:
- Gambling disorder (GD) is a recognized behavioral addiction.
- Comorbidities associated with GD require further investigation, particularly concerning cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, obesity, and respiratory disorders.
- Understanding gender differences in these comorbidities is crucial for targeted interventions.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between gambling disorder (GD) and prevalent somatic conditions, including cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, obesity, and respiratory-related disorders.
- To examine potential gender-based differences in the prevalence of these comorbidities among individuals with GD.
Main Methods:
- A national retrospective case-control study was conducted using Swedish health data from 2005 to 2019.
- 10,766 patients were included, with 3,592 diagnosed with GD, each matched with two controls.
- Data on medical diagnoses were extracted and analyzed using descriptive statistics and Chi-squared/Fisher's exact tests.
Main Results:
- Patients with GD exhibited a significantly higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and respiratory-related disorders compared to controls.
- Specific prevalence rates showed GD patients had higher instances of diabetes (5% vs. 2%), CVD (18% vs. 12%), respiratory disease (7% vs. 4%), and obesity (7% vs. 3%).
- Women diagnosed with GD demonstrated a greater prevalence of obesity and other somatic comorbidities (excluding diabetes) relative to men with GD.
Conclusions:
- This large-scale study confirms a higher prevalence of CVD, diabetes, obesity, and respiratory disorders in individuals with gambling disorder (GD).
- Women with GD appear more vulnerable to CVD, obesity, and respiratory issues, though help-seeking behaviors may influence these findings.
- Early screening for GD and associated somatic conditions, alongside lifestyle management, is recommended for comprehensive patient care.
Objectives:
We aimed to examine potential relationships and gender differences between cardiovascular disease (CVD), diabetes, obesity, respiratory-related disorders, and gambling disorder (GD). We hypothesized that (1) GD patients would be more likely than controls to have CVD, diabetes, obesity, and respiratory-related diseases; and (2) females with GD would be more likely than men with GD to have CVD, diabetes, obesity, and respiratory-related diseases.
Study Design:
National retrospective case-control study.
Methods:
We used data from the Swedish National Board of Health and Welfare between 2005 and 2019. A total of 10,766 patients were included, and 3592 of them had GD. Every GD patient was matched with two age- and gender-matched controls. Patient data, including the history of medical diagnoses, were extracted. Descriptive statistics, Chi-squared and Fisher's exact tests were used to compare GD patients and controls.
Results:
GD patients had a higher prevalence of CVD and respiratory-related disorders than controls. Diabetes rates were 5% for GD patients and 2% for controls; CVD (18% vs 12%); respiratory-related disease (7% vs 4%); and obesity (7% vs 3%). Women with a diagnosis of GD have a higher prevalence of obesity and somatic comorbidities other than diabetes compared to men.
Conclusions:
This is the largest case-control study conducted to date showing GD patients have a higher prevalence of CVD, diabetes, obesity, and respiratory-related disorders than controls. Women with GD appear to be more susceptible than men to CVD, obesity, and respiratory-related disorders; however, this may be partially explained by differences in help-seeking behavior. Thus, our findings highlight the importance of early identification of GD patients who may also have somatic conditions requiring treatment. This can be accomplished by implementing a screening program for GD, CVD, diabetes, obesity, and respiratory-related disorders, and by including healthy lifestyle management strategies.
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