The Camouflaged Heart Threat: How Depression Raises Cardiac Risks
This article is medically reviewed by Dr Valery Feigin | Professor of Neurology & Epidemiology and Director of NISAN (National Institute for Stroke and Applied Neurosciences), Auckland University of Technology.
While many of us recognize the role of factors like poor diet, inactivity, and smoking in contributing to heart problems, there's another often overlooked culprit: depression. Despite its less obvious nature, depression can significantly impact heart health. It's not just a matter of feeling down; depression can affect
behaviours such as eating habits, physical activity levels, and medication adherence, all of which are crucial for heart health.
Depression Linkage With Cardiovascular Diseases
Coming to most individual’s surprise, studies have discovered that depression can have a significant impact on the likelihood of an individual developing heart disease and stroke. Studies from
NIH show a strong connection between depression and heightened risk for heart disease with depressed individuals experiencing 64% higher risk. Additionally, depression has also been uncovered that it results in a 30% increase in risk for heart attacks.
Potential Causes
What makes depression a culpable threat to the heart? Here are a few probable
reasons:
●
Inflammation: Depression is known for its association with increased inflammation levels which is a main reason for heart diseases.
● Unhealthy Habits: Depressed individuals are more likely to make harmful choices to their bodies which include smoking, inactivity and poor diet choices which heightens cardiac risks.
● Chronic Stress: The lengthened time of depression can dysregulate the body's stress response, causing harm to the cardiovascular system over time
● Compounding Factors: Depression is usually found with risk factors like obesity which compounds the danger of developing a heart disease
Deadly Combination
Other than the common causes, depression also correlates with heightened premature death. This is usually in combination with heart disease. This deadly combination can lead to
undesirable consequences:
1. Depression may increase mortality risks that result from heart diseases
2. Individuals with existing heart conditions and who have depression, experience a significant increase in death risk upon experiencing a cardiac event
3. Inflammation resulting from depression can pose life-threatening conditions like heart disease, stroke, and diabetes
A Protective Approach
By recognising and treating depression, you could go a long way in protecting your heart health. With the symptoms under control, there is a chance to reduce the risks of having a cardiac arrest.
Depression should not be taken lightly given its threat to your physical health. If you're struggling with persistent low mood, fatigue, or hopelessness, don't ignore it. Depression significantly increases your risk of developing cardiovascular diseases, but regularly monitoring your blood pressure and heart rhythm with
OMRON Complete can help you stay vigilant about your heart health. With its advanced ECG capabilities and seamless app integration, Omron Complete empowers you to take an active role in managing the cardiovascular risks associated with your depression.
