Depression Increases Heart Failure Risk By 40%

Moderate to severe depression increases risk of heart failure by 40%, according to a new study presented at the EuroHeartCare 2014 conference (April 4-5, 2014, Stavanger, Norway).

Researchers collected data from 63,000 participants during the second phase of the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT), based in Norway. In the second wave, which began in 1995, researchers noted body mass index, physical activity, tobacco smoking habits, and blood pressure.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

RELATED CONTENT
Depression is Causal Risk of Coronary Heart Disease
Grief Increases Risk of Cardiovascular Events
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Depression was accessed using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.

During the study, 1500 people developed heart failure. Researchers noted that individuals with mild symptoms of depression had a 5% increased risk of developing heart failure and individuals with moderate to severe depression had a 40% increased risk of developing heart failure as compared to individuals with no symptoms of depression.

“Depressive symptoms increase the chance of developing heart failure and the more severe the symptoms are, the greater the risk. 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. This means we can be confident that these factors did not cause the association,” said Lise Tuset Gustad, first author of the study and an intensive care nurse at Levanger Hospital in Norway.

Furthermore, Gustad noted that depression triggers stress hormones, which induce inflammation and atherosclerosis—noted accelerants of heart disease.

Reference:

Depression increases heart failure risk by 40%. European Society of Cardiology. 2014 Apr 4. www.escardio.org/about/press/press-releases/pr-14/Pages/depression-increases-heart-failure-risk-by-40-percent.aspx?hit=dontmiss. Accessed April 8, 2014.