A study finds that suffering from depression can significantly increase a person's risk of having a stroke.
A joint US and European research team found that people with a mental health disorder had a 46% increased chance of a potentially fatal neurological event. And those with more depressive symptoms are more likely to have a stroke. Among the 26,877 study participants, those who had at least five symptoms had a 56% increased risk of infection.
Depression is known to cause damage to a person's blood platelets, which are responsible for preventing clotting. Many strokes are caused by clotting, which prevents vital blood from reaching the brain.
"Depression affects people all over the world and can have a wide range of impacts on a person's life," Dr Robert Murphy, lead author from the University of Galway in Ireland, said in a statement.
Depression has long been associated with stroke, with many experts pointing to how the mental health condition affects blood flow in the body.
Previous research has linked depression to low levels of platelets, which increases the risk of a fatal blood clot.
The research team, whose findings were published Wednesday in the journal Neurology, looked at the extent of the risk.
"In this study, we gained deeper insights into how depressive symptoms may contribute to stroke," said Dr. Murphy. Our findings show that depressive symptoms can have an impact on mental health, but also increase the risk of stroke.
The scientists collected data from INTERSTROKE, a global tracker of stroke incidence, from 32 countries in Asia, Europe and the Americas.
Of the people from whom the data was collected, half had a stroke, and the other half did not.
Participants were surveyed about pre-existing health conditions, such as heart, brain and mental health problems.
In the study population, 18% of people who had a stroke reported symptoms of depression, compared to just 14% of the non-stroke population.
After adjusting for other risk factors, the researchers found a 46 percent increased risk of stroke among people with depression.
Murphy said: “Our study provides an overall picture of depression and its link to stroke risk by looking at a number of factors including participants’ symptoms, life choices and use of antidepressants. Our results show that depressive symptoms are associated with an increased risk of stroke. The risk was similar across the board. "Age groups and across the world. Those with five or more depressive symptoms have an increased risk. They are 56% more likely to have a stroke than their peers." Source: Daily Mail
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