HealthDay (6/19, Dallas) reports, “People suffering from anxiety, depression, sleeplessness or other forms of psychological distress are at greater risk of death from a stroke,” according to a study published online June 18 in CMAJ. After examining data on “68,652 adults who participated in the Health Survey for England,” then following those adults for approximately eight years, researchers “found 2,367 deaths from ischemic heart disease (blocked artery), stroke and other cardiovascular problems.”
“Psychological distress predicted a significant 66% elevated risk of death from cerebrovascular disease,” MedPage Today (6/19, Phend). “The impact on ischemic heart disease-related death risk was similar at a hazard ratio of 1.59,” researchers reported. “The associations with psychological distress were similar for cerebrovascular and ischemic heart disease but may not stem from the same mechanism in both cases, the researchers noted, pointing to the differences in pathogenesis of atherosclerotic lesions in coronary and cerebral arteries.”
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— “Anxiety, Depression May Raise Stroke Risk,”Mary Elizabeth Dallas , HealthDay, June 18, 2012.