Couple of articles have been pasted on this blog concerning depression (see here for one). However, i found a news article on how depression can actually increase the risk of heart failure.Enjoy:
"Depression
may increase the risk of heart failure
Researchers
looked at nearly 63,000 people in Norway who underwent physical and mental
health assessments.
Over 11
years, close to 1,500 of the participants developed heart failure. Compared to
people with no symptoms of depression, those with mild symptoms were 5 percent
more likely to develop heart failure, and those with moderate to severe
symptoms had a 40 percent increased risk.
The study
was scheduled for presentation Friday at a meeting of the European Society of
Cardiology in Stavanger, Norway.
"Depressive
symptoms increase the chance of developing heart failure and the more severe
the symptoms are, the greater the risk," study first author Lise Tuset
Gustad, an intensive care nurse at Levanger Hospital in Norway, said in a
society news release.
"Depressed
people have less healthy lifestyles, so our analysis adjusted for factors such
as obesity and smoking that could cause both depression and heart
failure," she added. "This means we can be confident that these
factors did not cause the association."
In people
with heart failure, the heart can't pump enough blood through the body.
The study
doesn't prove depression causes the condition, only that the two are often
linked.
"Depression
triggers stress hormones. If you're stressed you feel your pulse going up and
your breath speeding up, which is the result of hormones being released. Those
stress hormones also induce inflammation and [plaque buildup in arteries],
which may accelerate heart diseases," Gustad explained.
Also,
depressed people find it more difficult to follow advice about how to take
medications and improve their lifestyle, added Gustad, noting this might also
explain the association.
She said
that there are effective treatments for depression, particularly if it's
diagnosed early.
"The
early symptoms of depression include a loss of interest and loss of pleasure in
things that have normally been interesting or given pleasure," Gustad
said. "If you feel like that, speak to your friends, and if it lasts for a
month see your doctor or nurse."
Depression
can be treated easily in the early stages and many people don't need
medication, she added. "Talking to a professional may be all you
need," Gustad said.
Research
presented at meetings is typically considered preliminary until published in a
peer-reviewed medical journal."
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