Inflammation Not the Link Between Depression, Heart Disease in Women
A new study reported last month in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found that while depression and inflammation are both risk factors for heart disease inflammation does not appear to be the major influence causing heart disease in women with depression.
A group of researchers tracked 559 female heart patients for six years for symptoms of depression and two markers of inflammation. They found that women with depression were almost three times more likely to die or be admitted to a hospital due to heart- or stroke-related medical problems. However, researchers also concluded that inflammation may not be the only link between depression and heart disease.
Dearing Johns, M.D., Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Virginia Health System who directs the UVA Women's Heart Health Clinic, notes that several research studies have established a link between depression and heart disease in both men and women.
To protect both your mental and heart health, Johns says you should discuss any of the following symptoms of depression with your healthcare provider and ask if you are at risk for developing heart disease:
- Apathy
- Feelings of sadness, hopelessness or helplessness
- Feeling a lack of self worth
- Increase in fatigue
- Difficulty sleeping, especially waking early
- Excessive sleep (hypersomnolence)
- Change in appetite, loss of appetite or overeating
- Becoming markedly more frustrated or irritable.
- Unprovoked feelings of anxiety
- Constipation combined with any other depression symptom