[sidebar]Science says: An expert panel, including professors from the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, anaylzed hundreds of studies that looked to find a link between depression and cardiovascular health. The findings show that a person with depression was more likely to have a heart attack or die from heart disease. What it means: There are many reasons why depression increases the risk of death following an acute coronary syndrome (the umbrella term for any occurrence when the heart’s blood supply is blocked), says Robert M. Carney, PhD, a professor of psychiatry at the Washington University School of Medicine. “Depression has been associated with disturbances in autonomic cardiac control [the nervous system that regulates heart rate], inflammation, and enhanced platelet activity. We also know that depressed individuals are more likely to smoke and have a more difficult time quitting smoking, they tend to be more sedentary, and are less adherent to the cardiac treatment regimen than those without depression. None of these things necessarily explain all of the risk, but many or all may contribute.” Bottom line: There’s a strong case that treatment can help someone with depression lower their risk for heart disease. Researchers can’t say for sure yet, but Dr. Carney is working on it. “We and others are attempting to identify more effective treatments for depression that will allow us to conduct a clinical trial with a goal of improving both depression and survival,” he says. More from Prevention: Effective Treatments For Depression
