Women 55 and younger are twice as likely to
suffer a heart attack, die or require artery-opening procedures if they’re
moderately or severely depressed, according to new research (June 2014) in the Journal
of the American Heart Association.
“Women
in this age group are also more likely to have depression, so this may be one
of the ‘hidden’ risk factors that can help explain why women die at a
disproportionately higher rate than men after a heart attack,” said Amit Shah,
M.D., M.S.C.R., study author and assistant professor of Epidemiology at Emory
University in Atlanta, Ga.
Investigators
assessed depression symptoms in 3,237 people with known or suspected heart
disease (34 percent women, average age 62.5 years) scheduled for coronary
angiography, an X-ray that diagnoses disease in the arteries that supply blood
to the heart. After nearly three years of follow-up, researchers found:
* In women 55 and younger,
after adjusting for other heart disease risk factors, each 1-point increase in
symptoms of depression was associated with a 7 percent increase in the presence
of heart disease.
* In men and older women,
symptoms of depression didn’t predict the presence of heart disease.
* Women 55 and younger were
2.17 times as likely to suffer a heart attack, die of heart disease or require
an artery-opening procedure during the follow-up period if they had moderate or
severe depression.
* Women 55 and younger were
2.45 times as likely to die from any cause during the follow-up period if they
had moderate or severe depression.
“All
people, and especially younger women, need to take depression very seriously,”
Shah said. “Depression itself is a reason to take action, but knowing that it
is associated with an increased risk of heart disease and death should motivate
people to seek help.”
“Providers need to ask more questions. They need to be
aware that young women are especially vulnerable to depression, and that
depression may increase the risk to their heart,” Shah said.
“Although
the risks and benefits of routine screening for depression are still unclear,
our study suggests that young women may benefit for special consideration”
remarked Viola Vaccarino, M.D., Ph.D., senior author of the study and Wilton
Looney Chair of Epidemiology at Emory University. “Unfortunately, this group
has largely been understudied before.”
In
2008, the American Heart Association issued a scientific statement recommending
that depression be formally considered as a risk factor, like diabetes or
hypertension, for increased heart disease risk. “Our data are in accordance
with this recommendation, but suggest that young/middle aged women may be
especially vulnerable to depression as a risk factor,” Vaccarino added.”
The research group is
examining whether women have more cardiovascular changes than men in response
to a short-term mental stress, such as giving a public speech.
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