T H E

Wellness
Message

Blue Moods Make Stroke More Likely
Reasons for increased risk remain unclear

(HealthDay News) -- People who feel sad or depressed now have another good reason to seek treatment for their mood: Depression may increase the likelihood of having a stroke by 40 percent.

"If someone is depressed, they should be treated for psychiatric reasons, but early treatment may also be beneficial in terms of stroke and heart disease, too," Dr. Ji Chong, a stroke expert at Columbia University's Neurological Institute in New York City, told HealthDay. Chong was the lead author of research on this topic that was presented last year at the American Academy of Neurology's annual meeting.

Past studies had found a link between depression and cardiovascular disease, especially heart attacks, and other studies had suggested a link between depression and stroke, Chong said.

To test this association, she and her colleagues tracked the health of 3,300 adults of various ethnic backgrounds living in New York City for a five-year period. Standard psychiatric questionnaires were periodically administered, and the questions asked included, "What has your mood been like this past week?"

"After adjusting for all the other usual risk factors for stroke, such as high blood pressure, cardiac diseases, etc., there was still an independent association between depressed mood and stroke," Chong said.

Those who said they had been sad or depressed had a 40 percent increase in the risk of stroke compared with those who were happy. The severity of the depression, however, appeared to have no increasing effect on the likelihood of stroke. Those who had been feeling sad were just as likely to have a stroke as those who were truly depressed.

A Mayo Clinic neurologist, Dr. J.D. Bartleson, told HealthDay that the study "increases my interest in asking about depression and probably intervening in patients who have an increased risk of stroke based on their history of depression."

Neither Chong nor Bartleson could explain exactly how feeling blue could increase the risk of stroke, but both said hormones could play a role.

"With depression, it's pretty well established that there's a hormonal system that may be out of balance," Chong said. "There are a lot of multiple effects that could lead to vascular issues."

Bartleson added that a hormonal cause could include "adrenalin, epinephrine, norepinephrine or some other stress-related chemical that would be likely to affect vessels." He said it also was possible that depression triggered inflammation of the blood vessels, which is a known risk factor for heart disease and stroke.

Besides keeping the blues at bay, the National Institute on Aging reports that other ways to reduce the risk of stroke include controlling blood pressure, quitting smoking, getting regular exercise, eating healthy foods and, for people with diabetes, keeping blood sugar levels under control.

To find out more, call Baptist HealthSource today for information at (850) 434-4080.