Risk of Stroke May be Increased by Anxiety, Depression

A new study reports that people with anxiety, depression, or other types of psychological disorders have a higher risk of dying as a result of stroke.

According to researchers from University College London, an estimated 15 to 20 percent of the general population suffers from psychological distress. Research in the past has found an association between these prevalent mental conditions and coronary artery disease, but no link to stroke and other cardiovascular diseases has been noted, the researchers said.

For the study, the researchers looked at data collected from 68,652 adults who took part in the Health Survey for England. The participants were composed mostly of white people, 45 percent were men and were about 55 years old on average.

Almost 15 percent of the people surveyed reported that they were suffering from psychological distress, majority of them were women. The participants who claimed being affected by psychological distress were also likely to be younger, smokers and taking medication to control blood pressure. In addition, they were likely to come from lower income families, the researchers said.

The researchers followed the participants for an average period of about eight years; and noted 2,367 deaths due to ischemic heart disease (due to arterial blockage), stroke and other cardiovascular problems.

The study appeared in the June 18 issue of the journal CMAJ.

In a journal news release, Dr. Mark Hamer, of the college department of epidemiology and public health, and his colleagues said that psychological distress was linked to death due to cardiovascular disease, and that the association “remained consistent for specific disease outcomes, including ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease.” The researchers added that they noted a link between psychological distress and risk of cardiovascular disease among the people who took part in their study, “all of whom had been free from cardiovascular disease at baseline. This association was similar in size to the association between psychological distress and ischemic heart disease in the same group.”

In their conclusion, the researchers said that questionnaires could be useful in helping doctors screen their patients for prevalent mental disorders, which could lower their chances of dying due to heart disease and stroke.