Medscape (6/19) reports that research published online in the Journal of the American Heart Association suggests that depression may “be particularly harmful to the heart in younger women.” Investigators analyzed data on “3237 participants in the Emory Cardiovascular Biobank, who were enrolled before undergoing elective or emergent coronary angiography.”
HealthDay (6/19, Mozes) reports that the researchers found that although “depression didn’t appear related to heart disease risk among men of any age or elderly women…among women 55 and younger,” each “one-point rise in depression symptom ratings translated into a 7 percent rise in heart disease risk.” Thus, “depressed young and middle-aged women faced a 2.17 times greater risk for experiencing a heart attack, or for needing an invasive procedure to widen their diseased arterial pathways.” These “women also faced similar elevated risk for dying from heart disease, and a 2.45 greater risk for dying from any cause during the study follow-up period.”
Related Links:
— “Depression Doubles Odds of Heart Attack for Younger Women: Study,” Alan Mozes, HealthDay, June 18, 2014.