Treating Depression Early May Halve Stroke and Heart Attack Risk

Amy Taylor February 05, 2014

Not only does early treatment improves the quality of life of depression sufferers, it could also cut their risk of heart attack and stroke by almost half, according to a new study.

Groundbreaking research by the Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis is the first to discover the potential cardiac benefit of depression care, says lead author Dr Jesse C. Stewart. The study involved 235 older, clinically depressed patients who were randomly assigned to standard care or to a collaborative care programme involving antidepressants and psychotherapy.

Among the 168 patients with no cardiovascular disease at the start of the study, those who received collaborative care for their depression had 48 per cent reduction in the risk of heart attack or stroke over the next 8 years, compared with those who received standard care for their depression. Nevertheless, the researchers found no reduction in the risk of stroke and heart attack among the 67 patients from the collaborative care programme with pre-existing cardiovascular disease.

The study, published in the journal Psychosomatic Medicine, suggests that early treatment is necessary for depression if cardiovascular benefits are desired.

“Previous studies we and others have conducted indicate that depression is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease. But past depression treatment studies involving cardiac patients have not shown the anticipated cardiovascular benefits.” said Dr Stewart. “So we asked ourselves, what if we treated depression before the onset of cardiovascular disease? Could that cut the risk of heart attack and stroke? Our results suggest that the answer is yes,”

“Lifestyle changes — such as stopping smoking — and blood pressure and cholesterol medications are important approaches to decreasing risk of heart attacks and strokes.” he added.

He and his team are planning to conduct a larger randomised controlled trial to verify their current findings. “In the near future, depression treatment may play an important role in reducing disability and death due to cardiovascular disease,” Dr Stewart said.

Source of this article:

Early Treatment of Depression May Ward Off Heart Attack, Stroke