Washington, Sept. 20 -- Chronic inflammation linked to everyday stress, socioeconomic disadvantage and lifestyle factors may quietly damage the heart years before cardiovascular symptoms appear, according to a large study of nearly 480,000 UK adults.

Researchers from the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) and Imperial College London found that people with the highest levels of inflammation had a 43 per cent higher risk of heart attack and stroke than those with the lowest levels.

The study, published on Eureka Alert! described by researchers as the largest of its kind, analysed UK Biobank data using a blood marker called glycoprotein acetyls (GlycA), along with heart imaging and genetic data.

The researchers found that higher inf...