Young and middle-aged women who are depressed are twice as likely to have a heart attack or die prematurely
Young and middle-aged women who are depressed are twice as likely to have a heart attack or die prematurely, warn researchers.
They believe depression puts women at special risk of suffering heart problems, and doctors should be aware of the link.
U.S. researchers say underlying depression could explain poor survival rates among women aged 55 and younger compared with men.
Dr Amit Shah, study author and assistant professor of Epidemiology at Emory University in Atlanta, said: ‘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.’
The research team assessed depression symptoms in 3,237 people with known or suspected heart disease scheduled for coronary angiography, an X-ray that diagnoses disease in the arteries that supply blood to the heart.
One-third of the participants were women with an average age of 62, says a report in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
During the following three years, researchers found that women aged 55 and younger were twice as likely to suffer a heart attack, die or require artery-opening procedures if they were moderately or severely depressed.
Each one-point increase in symptoms of depression among younger women was linked with a seven per cent increase in the presence of heart disease.
But in men and older women, symptoms of depression did not predict 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 if they had moderate or severe depression, compared with those who were not depressed.
Younger women were also 2.45 times as likely to die from any cause during the follow-up period if they had moderate or severe depression.
UK figures show heart and circulatory disease claims the lives of one in three women – three times more than breast cancer – as well as one in three men.
About one in five women develops depression at some point in life and women are nearly twice as likely as men to have depression. It can occur at any age, but it is most common in women between the ages of 40 and 59.
In the UK, nearly two thirds of patients seeking treatment for depression are women.
Dr 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.’
Underlying depression could explain poor heart attack survival rates among women aged 55 and younger compared with men of the same age
Dr Viola Vaccarino, senior author of the study, said the risks of depression and heart problems in younger women had been ‘understudied’.
‘Although the risks and benefits of routine screening for depression are still unclear, our study suggests that young women may benefit for special consideration,’ she said.
Previous research shows that women are less likely to receive standard medications for heart disease and less likely to get on rehabilitation programmes.
In addition, fewer women have an angiogram to assess the extent of coronary disease and, as a result, undergo fewer angioplasty and bypass operations.
But studies show when women get the correct diagnosis and treatment for heart problems the results are as good as they are in men.
In the UK, 103,000 people have a heart attack each year, with one in three dying before they reach hospital. European prevention guidelines refer to depression as a coronary risk factor.
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.
The research group is also examining whether women have more cardiovascular changes than men in response to a short-term mental stress, such as giving a public speech.
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-2661590/Women-depression-TWICE-likely-heart-attack-die-young.html#ixzz351ubzZJA
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