Depression Patients Are More Prone to Heart Ailments

Depression is the leading cause of ill-health and disability across the world. The striking fact about the mental disorder is the fact that one needs no reason or cause to develop it. Some may experience depression as a consequence of undergoing a debilitating disease or a surgery while others may feel the loss of a loved one and fall prey to depression. There are, however, distinct signs that one can look for in order to identify the early onset of depression. Depression, at worse, can lead to suicide, therefore identifying it at the earliest and starting with the treatment is extremely crucial.

Depression is known to meddle with an ongoing disease and may trigger a host of other ailments. Patients suffering from depression are more susceptible to ailments like stroke and a range of cardiovascular disease. A recently conducted study drew correlation between depression and coronary heart disease. A team of experts from America found that people with suffering from coronary heart disease and depression are more susceptible to an early death as those patients who are free from depression. The connection between depression and heart ailments is not fully investigated. Patients with depression are prone to heart diseases while those already suffering from heart ailments tend to show depressive symptoms over time.

"Research suggests that people with depression may have unusually sticky platelets, the cells responsible for the blood clotting mechanism. This may lead to or accelerate atherosclerosis or the hardening of the arteries that causes heart attack," Dr Anil Dhall, director, Cardiovascular Sciences, Venkateshwar Hospital in Dwarka, Delhi.

Depression triggers stress hormones that may lead to inflammation and plaque build-up in arteries. Severe cases of depression are at greater risk of chronic heart issues.Heart patients suffering depression were also found to have a more serious level of disease or more difficult time dealing with it as compared to patients without depression. Depression patients, on the other hand, may experience unfavourable blood pressure levels, inflammation and high stress hormones.

Experts therefore press for all heart patients to be checked for depression. In case depressive symptoms are present in the heart patient, adequate care and modified treatment is a must along with regular follow-up.

Inputs from ANI