Personal Injury Law

Depression and Heart Attack Link

By Jane Akre

A new report suggests that depression is far more common for heart patients than previously thought, and routine screening should take place in a medical setting. 

More than 80 million Americans suffer from heart disease and it's the top cause of death.

The depression that accompanies it can affect a patient's health outlook and quality of life, according to research and the issuance of new guidelines by the American Heart Association.

Researchers reviewed dozens of studies on patients following a heart attack and found depression is three times more common compared to the general population. 

Surprisingly, young women seem the most susceptible to depression following a heart attack.

And in a vicious cycle, studies show that depressed heart patients often stop taking their medications, follow a healthy diet, and regularly exercise.

Depression is found to bring about negative changes in the body that can lead to further heart disease, such as an increase in the formation of blood clots.

Depressed heart patients have at least twice the risk of another heart event within two years, according to researchers. More severe depression is linked to earlier and a more critical second heart event. 

The scientific advisory panel recommends that early and repeated screening for depression and anxiety follow a heart attack.

Cardiac patients should ask themselves if they've felt down, depressed, and hopeless.  If so, medication, cognitive therapy, and exercise are generally be recommended. 

"The important message is to identify people and offer them treatment," said Erika Froelicher, a professor at the UCSF School of Nursing and Medicine and a co-author of the guidelines.  

Depression may be a cause of the heart attack in the first place. People with depression might not exercise or eat well, or they might smoke, says Froelicher.

Judith Lichtman of Yale University School of Medicine, helped write the new guidelines. She believes more research is still needed to understand the link between heart attacks and depression.

"Because there has been no routine screening for depression in heart patients, we think there is a large group of people who could benefit from appropriate treatment," she said in a statement.

The American Heart Association's first scientific statement on depression and coronary heart disease appear in the journal Circulation.  

Mended Hearts Inc. is a national nonprofit support group whose volunteers visit heart patients in the hospital to share their experiences.  #

Full post as published by InjuryBoard on September 30, 2008 (boomark / email).