Severe Depression may Increase Risk of Heart Failure

Depression has the power to harm emotional and physical aspects of our health. In fact, a recent study reveals that in some cases, severe depression can also increase the risk of heart failure by up to 40 percent.

"People who have lost interest in things they used to enjoy, such as reading or watching a television series, may have the early signs of depression. It's a good idea to see your doctor in these early stages for some advice on how to reduce your depression levels," said first author Lise Tuset Gustad, an intensive care nurse at Levanger Hospital in Norway, via a press release.

Through the assessment of depression in the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, the Norwegian National Cause of Death Registry tracked which patients were hospitalized with heart failure or who died from it during an 11-year study, composed of 63,000 Norwegian patients.

Findings revealed that those with mild depressive symptoms had a 5 percent increased risk of developing heart failure, while those with moderate to severe symptoms had a 40 percent increased risk.

"Depressive symptoms increase the chance of developing heart failure and the more severe the symptoms are, the greater the risk. Depressed people have less healthy lifestyles, so our analysis adjusted for factors such as obesity and smoking that could cause both depression and heart failure. This means we can be confident that these factors did not cause the association," Gustad said, via the release. "There is effective treatment for depression, particularly if people get help early. The early symptoms of depression include a loss of interest and loss of pleasure in things that have normally been interesting or given pleasure. If you feel like that, speak to your friends and if it lasts for a month see your doctor or nurse. Depression can be treated easily in the early stages and many people don't need medication. Talking to a professional may be all you need."

"Depression triggers stress hormones. If you're stressed you feel your pulse going up and your breath speeding up, which is the result of hormones being released. Those stress hormones also induce inflammation and atherosclerosis, which may accelerate heart diseases. Another mechanism could also be because depressed people find it more difficult to follow advice about how to take medications and improve their lifestyle," Gustad concluded. 

What do you think?

More information regarding the findings were presented at EuroHeartCare 2014 in Stavanger, Norway.