Karolina Grabowska (via Pexels)
Written by Sharin Hussain, via SWNS
Young women are at higher risk of developing heart disease due to their mental health, a new study warns.
American research suggests that anxiety and depression may serve as an early warning of cardiovascular risk in this traditionally low-risk group.
“We often feel that young women are a ‘safe group’ when it comes to cardiovascular disease,” said Dr. Giovanni Sivieri, a cardiologist at Massachusetts General Hospital. “The incidence of disease is quite low.” group.
“However, this study suggests that if young women suffer from depression or anxiety, they should begin screening for cardiovascular risk factors to reduce the incidence of cardiovascular disease. ”
Anxiety and depression have recently become more commonly diagnosed, especially since the COVID-19 pandemic.
Researchers analyzed the health records of 71,214 people from the Massachusetts General Brigham Biobank.
A 10-year follow-up study found that young women with anxiety and depression were almost twice as likely to develop high blood pressure, high cholesterol and diabetes.
Women without these mental health conditions had similar rates of heart disease as men of the same age.
People were excluded if they had heart disease or were diagnosed with anxiety or depression after the study began.
Approximately 38% of participants developed high blood pressure, high cholesterol, and diabetes.
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We also found that people with a history of anxiety or depression before the study period were about 55% more likely to develop one or more of these risk factors compared to people without anxiety or depression. Ta.
Women under 50 with anxiety or depression were almost twice as likely to develop cardiovascular risk factors compared to other groups.
Overall, young women had the lowest rates of cardiovascular risk factors of any group, which was expected based on previous research findings and what is known about the protective effects of estrogen in premenopausal women. It is.
However, among young women, anxiety and depression were associated with much higher relative risks compared to other groups.
Dr. Sivieri said: “Once a young woman develops depression or anxiety, her absolute risk is the same as that of a young man.
“There’s a kind of catch-up phenomenon where depression and anxiety increase an otherwise very low risk.”
The researchers also looked at metabolic activity in stress-related brain regions in a small group of participants who underwent brain scans.
The results showed that young women with anxiety and depression had significantly increased stress-related neural activity.
Dr. Sivieri concludes: “The question is why anxiety and depression are associated with increased risk in young women. This is something we continue to study.”
The findings will be presented at the American College of Cardiology’s annual scientific session next month in Atlanta, Georgia.
