Effects of war-related stress on the cardiovascular system, metabolism and the rate of ageing in women
Authors: Pisaruk Anatoly , Asanov Ervin , Naskalova Svitlana , Antoniuk-Shcheglova Ivanna , Bondarenko Olena , Dyba Iryna , Mekhova Ludmila , Pisaruk Ludmila , Shatilo Valerii 
Published: February 2024

Chronic war-related stress (WRS) due to disruption of adaptation mechanisms can affect physiological processes in the body, in particular, metabolism, neuroendocrine regulation, and the state of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. WRS can also cause changes in the body's rate of ageing. Purpose of the Study: To investigate the effects of WRS on the cardiovascular system, metabolism and the rate of ageing in women.
The study included 91 women aged from 30 to 74 years who experienced chronic WRS and 79 women examined before the Russian-Ukrainian war (control group). The biological age (BA) was determined according to the indicators of hemodynamics, heart rate variability and metabolism (cardiometabolic age) using a formula that was obtained by multiple stepwise regression. The indicators were selected, which correlate as much as possible with age and little among themselves.
During the war, no statistically significant changes in heart rate, or systolic and diastolic blood pressure were observed, but a significant reduction in overall HRV in the supine position was obtained. Additionally, indices of parasympathetic nervous system activity are significantly lower during the war. In women, examined during the war, there is a statistically significant higher concentration of blood plasma glucose at fasting and 2-hour post-standard oral glucose tolerance test, they also exhibit higher plasma insulin concentration and a higher HOMA-IR index. An increased frequency of prediabetic disorders was observed. So, in the group of women examined before the war, an elevated fasting blood plasma glucose level was found in 6 %, while during the war it was observed in 19 %. Impaired glucose tolerance before the war was present in 10 % of women, and during the war, it increased to 25 %.
To assess the effect of WRS on the rate of ageing, the BA of women before and during war was calculated. The formula for calculating BA was obtained on a group of healthy women before the war, and the ageing rate was calculated as the difference between BA and chronological age (CA). The average BA in the group of women before the war was 56.5±1.4 years, and in the group during the war – 64.7 ± 1.1 years. The difference between BA and CA is (0.02 ± 0.79) years in the women before the war and (10.8 ± 1.36) years during the war (p < 0.05).
Chronic WRS leads to the disruption of the cardiovascular system's functioning and simultaneously triggers an imbalance in the autonomic nervous control in women. These changes indicate a state of heightened stress. Women exposed to chronic WRS experience unfavourable alterations in carbohydrate and lipid metabolism, increasing the risk of diabetes mellitus development. Chronic WRS accelerates the rate of cardiometabolic ageing in women.
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Keywords: cardiovascular system; metabolism; biological age; war-related stress; woman