Depression Ups Risk of
Heart Failure in Elderly

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Clinical depression more than doubles the risk of heart failure in elderly adults with high blood pressure, study findings reveal.

The study of more than 4,500 people aged 60 years and older with elevated blood pressure, or hypertension, found that about 8% of those who were diagnosed with depression developed heart failure, compared with just over 3% of those who were not depressed, over a period of nearly 5 years.

Taking into account other heart disease risk factors such as cholesterol levels, smoking habits, race, age and diabetes did not substantially affect the results, the researchers note.

``Our results indicate that depression is associated with an increased risk of heart failure among older persons with (high blood pressure),'' according to Dr. Jerome Abramson from Emory University in Atlanta, Georgia, and colleagues. ``This association is not explained by demographic characteristics...health status and medical history, or (heart attack) risk.''

However, depression only increased the risk of heart failure when it reached a certain level. The risk among individuals who were mildly depressed did not appear to be higher, the results show.

Although the researchers did not investigate the mechanism by which depression increases a person's risk of heart failure, they suggest that it may activate a part of the nervous system that regulates heart rate and is involved in the development of heart failure.

The findings, published in the July 23rd issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine, add to previous studies showing a link between depression and risk of heart disease and heart attack. The current study is among the first to demonstrate that depression can raise the risk of heart failure, Abramson and colleagues note.

SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine 2001;161:1725-1730.

Reference Source 89

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