A recently published study by the University of Toronto has revealed that people who have undergone child abuse are more likely to suffer from heart disease when they become adults.

It analyzed 2005 Statistics Canada data on 13,000 adults living in Manitoba and Saskatchewan. While 7% of these people admitted that they were abused as children and 4% of these were found to be suffering from heart diseases when they turned adults.

Health experts have stressed that child abuse victims have almost a 45% higher risk of developing a heart disease, as compared to other normal people. They claimed that earlier studies have also found these links.

Researchers also looked at other things like poverty and family history while conducting this study and found that there was no close link between these factors.

They have pointed that more research is required to understand why childhood physical abuse may lead to heart diseases later in life.

Health experts feel that victims of child abuse are more anxious and also have higher levels of cortisol in their bodies. This can lead to chronic inflammation, which can increase the chances of developing heart diseases.

It is claimed that people who have suffered child abuse need to monitor their weight and blood pressure to guard against developing heart disease.