Is it worse to be physically and mentally exhausted? Study: Mortality rate jumps by 81% for heart patients taking antidepressants
Does depression increase heart disease mortality? Is there a positive relationship between the two?
Heart disease has been among the top three causes of death in Taiwan for nearly 25 years. There may not be obvious signs before an acute attack of cardiovascular disease, but the mortality rate of patients within 5 years is as high as 50%, and the mortality rate is no less than that of cancer. International research points out that heart problems combined with “psychological problems” may bring more serious risks to health.
A recent study published in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing found that antidepressants or other psychiatric medications are associated with an increased risk of premature death in patients with heart disease. The study points to a review of the literature that found an association between anxiety symptoms and adverse health outcomes (such as worsening symptoms, death) in patients with heart disease, and this study adds to the evidence that the two do influence each other.
Dr. Pernille Fevejle Cromhout, a professor at Copenhagen University in Denmark, is the lead author of the study. The research team recruited 12,913 hospitalized patients with ischemic heart disease, abnormal heart rhythm, heart failure and valvular heart disease from the Danish Heart Center (DenHeart), and completed an “Anxiety and Depression Scale” before the subjects recovered and were discharged. " (HADS-A), a score of 8 or above is generally regarded as depressive symptoms.
People who had taken a prescription for benzodiazepines, antidepressants, or antipsychotics in the 6 months before hospitalization for heart disease were classified as having psychotropic medication use. The research team conducted a 1-year A follow-up survey comparing depression scales and drug use in patients with heart disease found that 2,335 participants (18%) had taken at least one prescription for psychotropic drugs, including benzodiazepines, in the 6 months before admission. drugs (68%) and antidepressants (55%). Among them, women, elderly patients, smokers, widowed patients, and those with lower education levels have a higher proportion of using psychotropic drugs.
Anxiety and depression double death rate? Psychiatric evaluation before treating heart disease?
The research team found that 362 patients died within the first year after discharge, and that the one-year mortality rate among users of psychotropic drugs was significantly higher than that of those who did not use psychiatric drugs. The research team claimed that anxiety and depression increased the mortality rate of patients with heart disease by 1.81 times.
Dr. Cromhout said mental illness was not uncommon among patients with heart disease. Nearly one-third (32%) of the study’s participants had been diagnosed with depression or anxiety. Heart disease patients with psychological problems compared with patients without psychological problems. The use of psychiatric medications is twice as high.
Dr. Cromhout believes that the association between psychiatric drugs and heart disease requires further research to evaluate whether the high mortality rate in heart disease patients is caused by the use of psychiatric drugs or their own mental illness.
Are systematic assessments of mental disorders in heart disease populations recommended in the future? Dr. Cromhout said this may be necessary because research data shows that mental illness is significantly associated with higher mortality rates in patients with heart disease. It is recommended that patients with heart disease must seek consultation from a professional physician and adjust the prescription before taking medication for mental illness. This is a safer approach.
source:
〈Nearly one in five patients with heart disease use mental health drugs〉
