Depression is a debilitating mental health condition that gets in the way of life. It is also known that depressive episodes can increase heart disease risk in individuals later in life. If not treated right away, depression can result in stroke, diabetes, obesity, high blood pressure, heart attack and even death.
A preliminary study reveals that prompt treatment of depression can lower heart disease risk. The results will be presented at a meeting at the American College of Cardiology meeting in Chicago this Saturday. Intermountain Medical Center Heart Institute researchers also found that if depression is not treated, the complications brought about by increased heart disease risk will be significant.
"Our study shows that prompt, effective treatment of depression appears to improve the risk of poor heart health," co-researcher Dr. Heidi May said in a release via Science Daily. "The key conclusion of our study is: If depression isn't treated, the risk of cardiovascular complications increases significantly."
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For their study, researchers analyzed the depression questionnaires of more than 7,000 individuals. They were divided into four groups according to their survey: never depressed, no longer depressed, remained depressed or became depressed. They found that groups that remained depressed and became depressed had higher risk of contracting heart disease. However, those who were no longer depressed had a similar lower risk rate with individuals who were never depressed.
The researchers came to the conclusion that treatment of depression may help reduce cardiovascular heart disease risk. Furthermore, their findings show that this could prompt patients and their health care providers to actively participate in depression treatment.
"With the help of past research, we know depression affects long-term cardiovascular risks, but knowing that alleviating the symptoms of depression reduces a person's risk of heart disease in the short term, too, can help care providers and patients commit more fully to treating the symptoms of depression," May said, as reported by US News & World Report.
