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Depression is a factor that can influence the risk of cardiovascular disease. A study in the journal «
Nature Cardiovascular Research» provides the first evidence that depression and its severity increase the susceptibility to illness of coronary arteries and type 2 diabetes beyond lifestyle risk factors and genetic susceptibility to these diseases
Specifically, the study found that a lower frequency of depressive episodes is associated with a 34% lower risk of coronary artery disease and a 33% lower risk of type 2 diabetes, regardless of lifestyle risk factors. life and genetic susceptibility.
The prevalence of unrecognized depression in patients with heart disease has been known for 40 years. However, it is unclear whether depression contributes to the development of heart disease or is secondary to the clinical condition.
The research now being published, led by Pradeep Natarajan of the
Harvard University Massachusetts General Hospital (USA) has analyzed the genomes of 328,152 individuals of European descent (aged between 40 and 69 years) available in the UK Biobank.
Thanks to these data, the authors were able to generate a polygenic risk scorea specialized tool that can be used to refine the prediction of heart disease risk.
According to research, a lower burden of depression status is associated with a lower risk of coronary artery disease, type 2 diabetes, and atrial fibrillation by 34%, 33%, and 20%, respectively.
Furthermore, this association was independent of lifestyle factors known to be associated with both poorer mental health and risk of developing cardiovascular disease, such as diet, exercise, and smoking.
In addition, the association between depression and coronary artery disease was greater in women than in men.
This study expands knowledge regarding the possible contributing role of depression in the development of cardiovascular diseases.
The findings point to avenues for improving clinical screening practices and risk management for cardiometabolic disease. Note that depressed mood is assessed through a simple questionnaire, a potentially attractive low-cost approach.
another line of future research is whether people with symptoms or a history of depression should be prioritized for earlier onset or more frequent detection of the risk of cardiovascular disease.
However, questions remain regarding the role of depression in the development of cardiometabolic disease risk. Does the increased frequency of depressed mood lead to increased risk of cardiometabolic disease or is it the increased risk of cardiometabolic disease that leads to increased risk of depression?
Evidence suggests it may be the formerbut more research is needed on the possible underlying factors that may increase the risks of both cardiometabolic disease and depression.
The authors conclude that future research will be needed to determine the mechanisms behind this observed association and to identify possible implications for preventive therapies.
