THE TEN PLAGUES OF INSECURITY AND THE IMPACT ON THE HUMAN CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM: MECHANISTIC INSIGHTS AND PUBLIC HEALTH SIGNIFICANCE
Authors & Affiliations
Samuel E Antia1; Grace A. Antia2; Chibuzo C Ajaero1; Queen U Alu1; Stanley C. Onoja; Collins N Ugwu1,3; Godsent C Isiguzo1 1. Cardiology Division, Department of Internal Medicine, Alex Ekwueme Federal University Teaching Hospital, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria. 2. Department of Paediatrics, National Obstetric Fistula Centre, Abakaliki, Ebonyi State, Nigeria. 3. Institute of Health Policy and Health Systems, Ebonyi State University, Ebonyi State, Nigeria.
📖 Abstract Content
Background Insecurity disrupts the human cardiovascular system through a multimodal activation of pathways that result in maladaptive signaling involving the brain-heart-endocrine-adrenal axis.
Aims: To elucidate the ten plagues of insecurity and the pathophysiologic pathways through which they disrupt the cardiovascular system and modulate cardiovascular health.
Method We scoped existing literature on conflict/wars and the cardiovascular system from PUBMED, Google Scholar, Web of Science, and selected literature that best aligns with our subject of discussion.
Discussion: Insecurity arising in conflict-prone zones results in ten maladies of importance. These maladies affect the human cardiovascular system in a progressive, predictable, orderly and intensified manner beyond that expected in the state of tranquility; some of which may be seen in the years following the conflict or in their offspring of the exposed due to epigenomics. We discuss the mechanistic pathways disrupted by these maladies and how these rewire the cardiovascular system, increasing its vulnerability to disease. We also show how these may be used in conflict-prone zones to plan interventions for cardiovascular crises, including rehabilitation in the post-conflict era.
The Cardiovascular system undergoes considerable plasticity during conflict, with consequences for the global rising non-communicable cardiovascular disease burden. Understanding these mechanistic pathways is key for cardiovascular health planning and interventions, including rehabilitation in conflict-prone regions.
