New Evidence Links Heart Disease to Depression

Winston-Salen, N. Carolina (dpa) - A study of 4,493 pensioners in the United States has showed that those who were most often depressed were 40 percent more likely to develop heart disease than those troubled by depression the least.

      None of the participants, all aged 65 and over, had any heart disease at the start of the six-year probe in the United States.

      Their mood status was assessed each year using a scoring system to rate depression symptoms. Those taking part were also interviewed about their health, medication, and their feelings.

      Every five-unit increase in the average depression score was associated with a 15 percent increased risk of developing heart disease.

      A five-unit increase also resulted in a 16 percent increase in the chances of dying after adjustment for other risk factors.

      Professor Curt Furberg, from Wake Forest University, Winston- Salen, North Carolina, one of the chief investigators, said: "This study has established that symptoms of depression are an independent risk factor for coronary heart disease in older individuals.

      This doesn''t mean that depressive symptoms are a cause of coronary heart disease, but that the presence of depressive symptoms predicts the development of disease."

      The researchers found that women reported more depressive symptoms than men. Married participants or those who lived with others had lower scores than those living alone. Smokers, disabled individuals, and people who were inactive and overweight also had higher scores.

      The findings were published in the American Heart Association journal Circulation. Furberg said there were three reasons why depression might predispose some individuals to an increase risk of heart disease.

      Depression was associated with poor physical activity, more smoking, and an increase in other behaviours that raised heart disease risk. It was possible that mental stress caused by depression helped form fatty deposits which narrowed arteries, and depression was also thought to increase the production of chemicals that damaged blood vessel walls.

      dpa

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