Scientists explained how depression affects heart health

Do not ignore your state of mind.

Scientists have found that depression inflicts physical damage to a man’s heart. Research shows that it is a mental illness increases the risk of premature death in cardiac patients by two times.

Cardiac patients are twice as likely to leave this life prematurely if you suffer from depression. The researchers observed 24 138 similar patients within 10 years. It turned out that the victims have coronary artery disease depression is the most significant single factor that allows to predict the time of death.

This conclusion remained true even after accounting for other factors, including age, race, presence of diabetes and high blood pressure. Physiologists American heart Association emphasize that the findings show the importance of the timely diagnosis of depression and combat mental illness, as well as its ability to exert biological effects on internal organs.

Scientists from the Heart Institute in Utah during the study was observed for patients who had gone through angiography to determine the presence of disease of the coronary arteries. For the diagnosis of hidden depression, the researchers used standard psychological techniques. Patients with depression were placed in a separate group, depending on how long they have suffered from cardiovascular disease. Until recently, most of these studies have examined the influence of depression in a particular time period, e.g., within 30 days after the diagnosis of heart disease or even at the time of this diagnosis. Now, however, researchers have conducted surveillance for 10 years after diagnosis the disease of the coronary arteries.

During this period, 15% or 2 646 patients faced with depression at some period of time. Of these, over 37% were victims of depression during the first 5 years. It has been proven that the life expectancy of such patients is reduced, despite the fact that this indicator is already bleak because of problems with the arteries. However, the risk of premature death in the presence of depression in such people has doubled.

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