People who have symptoms of depression may be at an increased risk of having a stroke, according to a new study. The researchers who conducted the study also found that such people are more likely to recover after a stroke. “Depression affects people around the world and can have a huge impact on a person’s life,” said study author Robert P. Murphy of the University of Galway in Ireland.
“Our study provides a comprehensive picture of depression and stroke risk by looking at a range of factors, including participants’ symptoms, life choices, and antidepressant use. Our results suggest that depressive symptoms were associated with increased stroke risk and risk. Various was similar across age groups and around the world,” Murphy said. The results of the study have been published in the journal Neurology.
The study included 26,877 adults from the INTERSTROKE study and included people from 32 countries in Europe, Asia, North and South America, the Middle East and Africa. The INTERSTROKE Study is an international, multi-center case-control study and the largest international study of risk factors for acute stroke according to Neurology.
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Of the study participants, 18 percent of those who had had a stroke had symptoms of depression, compared with 14 percent of those who did not have a stroke, the study found. The study noted that after adjusting for age, sex, education, physical activity and other lifestyle factors, people with symptoms of depression before a stroke had a 46 percent increased risk of stroke compared to those with no symptoms of depression. .
The study further found that the more symptoms the participants had, the higher their risk of stroke. Participants who reported five or more symptoms of depression had a 54 percent higher risk of stroke than those with no symptoms.
The study found that those who reported three to four symptoms of depression and those who reported one or two symptoms of depression had a 58 percent and 35 percent higher risk, respectively. The scientists also found that people with symptoms of depression were not only more likely to have a more severe stroke, but were more likely to have a worse outcome one month after the stroke than those without symptoms of depression.
“In this study, we gained deeper insight into how depressive symptoms may contribute to stroke,” Murphy said. “Our results suggest that symptoms of depression may impact mental health, but also increase the risk of stroke. Clinicians should look for these signs of depression and use this information to guide health initiatives focused on stroke prevention.” Can do to help direct.” Murphy.
Of the 26,877 participants, more than 13,000 had had a stroke. The study matched them with more than 13,000 people who had not experienced a stroke but were similar in age, gender, racial or ethnic identity. The average age of the participants was reported to be 62 years.
At the start of the study, participants completed questionnaires about cardiovascular risk factors, including high blood pressure and diabetes. The researchers collected information on symptoms of depression in the year prior to the study. According to the study, they were asked whether they had felt sad, blue or depressed for two or more consecutive weeks in the past 12 months.
A limitation of the study was that participants only filled out questionnaires about symptoms of depression at the start of the study, so the effects of depression over time could not be measured.