A new study has found that chronic inflammation in the body may be linked to a higher risk of frailty, social disadvantage, and cardiovascular disease. The research was published in the journal Communications Medicine and was carried out using blood samples from more than 2,000 women aged between 37 and 84 years.
Scientists studied 74 inflammation-related proteins in these samples to understand how inflammation may be connected to physical weakness, area-level social deprivation, and heart disease.
They discovered that 10 inflammatory proteins were linked both to frailty and to living in socially deprived areas. Among these, four proteins involved in cell signalling, growth, and movement — TNFSF14, HGF, CDCP1, and CCL11 — were also associated with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease.
One of these proteins, CDCP1, showed a strong connection with future heart problems such as blocked or narrowed arteries.
According to the researchers, these results suggest that certain inflammation-related proteins might act as biological links between ageing, social inequality, and heart disease.
The researchers took a data-based approach to the study and later validated their findings with another independent group of women. This step was taken to confirm that the results remain consistent across different groups.
The study highlights that frailty, social disadvantage, and cardiovascular disease often appear together, but the biological reasons behind this connection are not yet fully clear. The researchers believe that long-term exposure to social hardship may lead to harmful inflammation in the body, which over time can damage health.
The study suggests that the identified proteins could help doctors identify people who are more likely to develop heart disease in the future. It also points to the need for a combined strategy in public health — one that includes both medical efforts to control inflammation and broader social measures to reduce inequality.
