Post-stroke depression (PID) is the most common psychological disorder after suffering this cerebrovascular disease, which is the first cause of death in adult women and the second in men. Until now, depression has always been associated as a post-stroke disorder, but new research by an international team of experts suggests otherwise. Published in Neurologythe study shows that the People with depression are at higher risk of having a stroke. ischemic or hemorrhagic. Almost the double compared to those without such symptoms.
The work has covered a large sample: it analyzed 26,877 adults from 32 countries on various continents. They had a mean age 62 years and more than half had suffered a stroke. The researchers matched them with another group of 13,000 participants who had not had it, but who were similar in age, sex and ethnicity. All completed questionnaires on cardiovascular risk factors, such as high blood pressure and diabetes, while being questioned about their mental state.
They were asked, for example, if they had felt sad, lonely, or depressed for 2 or more consecutive weeks during the 12 months that the experiment lasted. To test whether the participants might have chronically low mood, the researchers asked them if they had given up on improving their lives. They also recorded whether the participants had ever taken antidepressants. The results? People with symptoms of depression had 46% increased risk of stroke than those without such symptoms.
Also, who four or more symptoms of depression they had a higher risk of stroke than those with fewer symptoms. Those who declared that they had “given up on improving their lives” were in even greater danger of facing one. On the other hand, the people taking antidepressants did not have the same increased risk of stroke than those who had symptoms of depression and were not receiving antidepressant treatment.
The study also found that although people with depression did not have more severe strokes, they did they had worse results a month later of the stroke. In other words, recovery was considerably more difficult.
Many experts have commented on this finding, pointing out that “this association between more severe depression and the risk of stroke Definitely deserves further exploration. and it could be clinically significant.” Dr. Curtis Benesch, medical director of the Comprehensive Stroke Center at the University of Rochester, in New York, made this simile, in statements to the daily MedicalNewsToday: “Since we know that smoking causes lung cancer and that a person who smokes every day is more likely to develop tumors sooner than one who smokes every 6 months, these findings should be considered as a dose-response relationship.”
Although the mechanisms that increase the risk may not be clear, this study demonstrates a key relationship between depression and a higher probability of having a stroke, as well as a worse recovery after it. This suggests potential therapeutic pathways that may be effective and they were not being taken into account until now in Primary Care, such as prescribing psychological interventions.
It is not the first time that attempts have been made to prove the relationship between depression and stroke, but it is the most important
On the other hand, it should be noted that several studies had previously linked the depression with heart disease and stroke. A 2011 meta-analysis showed that depression significantly increased the risk of stroke, and that the increase was probably independent of other risk factors, such as high blood pressure or diabetes. However, this study could not determine if there was a causal effect.
A larger meta-analysis published the same year, which analyzed 28 prospective studies, concluded that depression is prospectively associated with a significantly increased risk of developing a stroke. Another 2020 study found that people experiencing symptoms of depression were more likely to develop heart disease or having a stroke. Although the association was modest, it was present even in people whose symptoms were below the level of a depressive disorder.
What is depression? How do I know if I have it and what are its symptoms?
Depression affects about 280 million people worldwide and is almost twice as common in women. Psychological symptoms of depression include persistently depressed mood, feelings of worthlessness, loss of interest in pleasurable activities, difficulty concentrating, and even suicidal thoughts. Additionally, depression can cause physical symptoms, such as fatigue, poor appetite, headaches, chronic pain, and digestive problems.
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