Depression can lead to Heart Disease
It has been known for a while that health conditions like stroke and heart attacks may lead to depression. It maybe a common occurrence but depression further worsens the outcome and slows the recovery of these patients. In a recent study, Columbia researchers points to depression as a cause of heart diseases in women.
The experts from the university monitored 63000 women between 1992 and 2004. None of the subjects had any signs of heart problems at the start of the study but 8% had severe depression.
Depression among women places them in twice the risk of having sudden cardiac death which is most often caused by irregular heartbeats. These women also had a greater potential of having other heart pathologies.
The study also puts spotlight on the cause of the sudden cardiac death in women who are taking anti depressants. The data reveals that the effects of anti depressants outweigh the symptoms of the depression itself. They rationalize though that women who are taking antidepressants are likely the most depressed ones.
Laboratory studies of antidepressants being used today do not show any irregular heartbeats of subjects or patients.
The study adds depression to classic risk factors of heart diseases which include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes, and smoking.
A next study is being planned with focus on treating depression to lower the risk for cardiac problems. Depression has direct body effects like increased resting heart rate. Previous studies also show that the severity of depression symptoms is proportionate to the chances of having traditional cardiac risk factors.
The American Heart Association recommends that people with heart problems be regularly screened for signs of depression and be treated for it accordingly.
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