TY - JOUR
AU - B. King
AU - S. Swamy
AU - S. Khorsandi
A1 - 
AB - BACKGROUND: There are extreme psychosocial, environmental, and behavioral risks to the health and well-being of persons experiencing homelessness. Within this complex and hazardous environment, there is an opportunity to gain clearer perspective into the role of accelerating cardiovascular disease (CVD) progression alongside the aging cohort effect in this population. METHOD: Utilizing 2021 and 2022 data from the Harris County Medical Examiner, investigators analyzed CVD-associated deaths for excess mortality and impact of age-related factors specific to persons experiencing homelessness. All medicolegal deaths involving CVD were examined to determine relative frequencies of secondary causes of death and the influence of age between housed individuals and individuals experiencing homelessness. RESULTS: The examination of the CVD mortality cases among persons experiencing homelessness in 2021 (n = 52) and 2022 (n = 71) revealed important trends. The mean age for CVD deaths for persons experiencing homelessness was 58.6 and 60.6 years in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Despite this slight, recent increase, the average age for CVD death among persons experiencing homelessness is dramatically lower than the housed, medicolegal CVD deaths, and the general population. Top-associated conditions were hypertension and atherosclerosis, regardless of housing status. However, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure were more common in CVD deaths of people experiencing homelessness. DISCUSSION: These findings reemphasize the uniqueness and complexity of the risks for premature mortality in people experiencing homelessness. This underscores the call for social services and healthcare systems to be more responsive to the challenges faced by persons experiencing homelessness, with more integrated and targeted health and aging care interventions to address the specific needs of these marginalized individuals.
AD - Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine, Department of Health Systems and Population Health Sciences, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA.; Humana Integrated Health Systems Sciences Institute, University of Houston, Houston, Texas, USA.; School of Human Ecology, Population Health Program, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, Texas, USA.; School of Public Health, Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center - New Orleans, New Orleans, Louisiana, USA.
AN - 39945197
BT - Gerontologist
C5 - Healthcare Disparities
CP - 5
DA - Apr 9
DO - 10.1093/geront/gnaf056
DP - NLM
IS - 5
JF - Gerontologist
LA - eng
N2 - BACKGROUND: There are extreme psychosocial, environmental, and behavioral risks to the health and well-being of persons experiencing homelessness. Within this complex and hazardous environment, there is an opportunity to gain clearer perspective into the role of accelerating cardiovascular disease (CVD) progression alongside the aging cohort effect in this population. METHOD: Utilizing 2021 and 2022 data from the Harris County Medical Examiner, investigators analyzed CVD-associated deaths for excess mortality and impact of age-related factors specific to persons experiencing homelessness. All medicolegal deaths involving CVD were examined to determine relative frequencies of secondary causes of death and the influence of age between housed individuals and individuals experiencing homelessness. RESULTS: The examination of the CVD mortality cases among persons experiencing homelessness in 2021 (n = 52) and 2022 (n = 71) revealed important trends. The mean age for CVD deaths for persons experiencing homelessness was 58.6 and 60.6 years in 2021 and 2022, respectively. Despite this slight, recent increase, the average age for CVD death among persons experiencing homelessness is dramatically lower than the housed, medicolegal CVD deaths, and the general population. Top-associated conditions were hypertension and atherosclerosis, regardless of housing status. However, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and congestive heart failure were more common in CVD deaths of people experiencing homelessness. DISCUSSION: These findings reemphasize the uniqueness and complexity of the risks for premature mortality in people experiencing homelessness. This underscores the call for social services and healthcare systems to be more responsive to the challenges faced by persons experiencing homelessness, with more integrated and targeted health and aging care interventions to address the specific needs of these marginalized individuals.
PY - 2025
SN - 0016-9013
ST - Early Mortality and Medical Complexity Among Medicolegal Cardiovascular Disease Deaths: Comparing Housed and Unhoused Decedents
T1 - Early Mortality and Medical Complexity Among Medicolegal Cardiovascular Disease Deaths: Comparing Housed and Unhoused Decedents
T2 - Gerontologist
TI - Early Mortality and Medical Complexity Among Medicolegal Cardiovascular Disease Deaths: Comparing Housed and Unhoused Decedents
U1 - Healthcare Disparities
U3 - 10.1093/geront/gnaf056
VL - 65
VO - 0016-9013
Y1 - 2025
ER -