[ad_1]
Researchers found that women who had previously been diagnosed with depression were more likely to suffer a heart attack, stroke, heart failure, chest pain, and atrial fibrillation than men with a history of depression. discovered.
“A better understanding will allow health care providers to optimize care for both men and women with depression, leading to improvements in depression. [heart disease] ” said Dr. Kaneko.
“The link between depression and cardiovascular disease in both men and women has been known for decades, and this study shows how that risk is influenced by gender. We’re exploring new aspects of that,” says Sharon Hayes, MD. , a cardiologist at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn., and an expert on the link between heart disease and depression, was not involved in the study.
However, there are some important differences in the population included in this study compared to the U.S. population that may affect whether the findings can be generalized, Dr. Hayes says.
Relationship between depression and heart disease
Depression appears to increase the risk of developing heart disease, and having heart disease appears to increase the risk of developing depression. It’s a two-way street, says depression researcher Roy Charles Siegelstein, M.D., professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins Medicine in Baltimore. Among people with heart disease.
“When it comes to heart disease, depression makes the outcome of heart disease even worse. So, for example, if you have a heart attack and become depressed, having a similar heart attack does not make you depressed.” And, as this study shows, the relationship appears to be bidirectional: Being diagnosed with depression increases your risk of developing heart disease.” says Dr. Siegelstein, who was not involved in the study.
A history of depression appears to have a greater impact on heart health in women than in men.
This observational cohort study used the Japanese insurance claims database from 2005 to 2022 and identified more than 4 million participants who met the study criteria. The median age of the workforce, which consisted of employees and their families, was 44 years (36–52 years), and approximately 57% of participants were male. Depression is defined as clinically diagnosed before the first medical examination.
The study collected each participant’s body mass index (BMI), blood pressure, and fasting laboratory values during an initial medical examination. The primary endpoint was a composite endpoint including heart attack, chest pain, stroke, heart failure, and atrial fibrillation.
Researchers analyzed the statistical significance of differences in various cardiac events between participants with and without depression and found that having a previous diagnosis of depression was associated with an increased risk of heart disease in men. They found an increase of 39% in women and 64% in women.
Researchers also found that the risk of each type of cardiac event was higher in women with depression compared to men.
Why does depression have a greater impact on heart health in women than in men?
According to the study authors, one possible explanation for the difference in cardiac events is that women may experience more severe depression than men, Hayes said. “But we don’t know that because that information isn’t included in insurance claims data,” she says.
Another theory behind these differences is hormonal changes that affect women but not men, such as pregnancy, postpartum depression, perimenopause, and menopause. “Clearly, sex hormones and their fluctuations over the lifespan are very different for men and women,” Hayes says.
But she points out that there are also behavioral differences that have nothing to do with sex hormones. “For example, globally, women are less physically active than men. Women go to the doctor more than men, especially when they’re younger,” says Hayes.
“We also know that these traditional cardiovascular risk factors affect men and women differently. We know that high blood pressure in women increases the risk of stroke to a greater extent than high blood pressure in men.” “While smoking increases the risk of cardiovascular disease in women compared to men, elevated LDL cholesterol probably affects men more,” she says.
Interestingly, the study found that the prevalence of depression was about the same in men and women, at 4.2 percent in men and 4.5 percent in women, Hayes points out. “In the United States, women are almost twice as likely as men to be diagnosed with depression. That’s a big difference,” Hayes says.
Conclusion: Women need to pay attention to risk factors for heart disease, including current or past depression
“If you’re biologically prone to depression, you can’t snap your fingers or wave a magic wand and keep it from happening again. And you can’t change the past, e.g. , if you had postpartum depression when you were 30 years old and now you’re 50. But this is a risk factor that you need to be aware of,” says Hayes.
Although this is not a traditional risk factor, she suggests that women may want to think of past depression in the same way as a family history of heart disease or high cholesterol. “So these women should ‘double down’ on modifiable risk factors, such as increasing their physical activity, following a heart-healthy eating pattern, quitting smoking, and making sure they know their numbers.” If we recommend changes or medications to lower cholesterol or blood pressure, take advantage of them to lower your risk of stroke, heart attack, and atrial fibrillation,” says Hayes.
Women should also pay attention to heart attack symptoms, Dr. Siegelstein says. “If you experience symptoms such as chest discomfort, shortness of breath, or discomfort in the upper shoulders, especially during exercise, you should seek medical attention. If the symptoms subside after a few minutes, even with rest, If not, you need to call emergency medical services,” he says.
Finally, Ziegelstein says women who experience symptoms of depression, such as sadness or a loss of pleasure in things they once enjoyed, should see their doctor and get the treatment they need.
[ad_2]
Source link