Fraud victimization linked with elevated blood pressure in men for years

Millions of elderly are victims of financial exploitation, schemes, and/or scams per year globally. Such victimization is associated with increased hospitalizations, admittance to skilled nursing facilities, and lower 5-year all-cause mortality survival rates. Despite this, associations with medical comorbidities like elevated blood pressure (BP) have not been examined.

New research published in the Journal of the American Geriatrics Society suggests that experiencing financial exploitation, fraudulent schemes, and scams may raise a person's blood pressure. The study found that fraud victimization was linked with elevated blood pressure in men, but not in women.

The study included 1,200 older adults from the Rush Memory and Aging Project. During up to 11 years of annual observations, participants were asked about fraud victimization and underwent serial blood pressure measurements.

Men showed post-fraud elevations in blood pressure that, compounded over time, may portend poor health.

"These findings show that fraud victimization has important public health consequences and underscore the need for efforts to prevent exploitation," said lead author Melissa Lamar, PhD, of Rush University Medical Center.

Reference:

Lamar, M, Yu, L, Leurgans, S, et al. Self-reported fraud victimization and objectively measured blood pressure: Sex differences in post-fraud cardiovascular health. J Am Geriatr Soc. 2022; 1- 10. doi:10.1111/jgs.17951