Depression Bad for the Heart, Researchers Find

Emory University researchers have found that depression leads to arterial stiffness- a condition known to increase cardiovascular disease risk.

Arterial stiffness is when the artery loses its ability to expand and contract to facilitate blood blow. The condition is an early indicator of cardiovascular diseases such as heart attacks. Arterial stiffening is known to increase during stressful situations.

Depression is a serious mental illness that affects one in every 10 adults in the U.S. Previous research has also shown that depression can accelerate aging. Shortening of telomeres- the protective caps of chromosomes- is also proportional to lifetime exposure to major depressive disorders.

The small study was based on data from 81 patients with a history of heart attacks. Participants underwent stress tests, including an "acute emotional stress task." Researchers used Pulse Wave Velocity system to measure arterial stiffness before and after the stress tests, according to a news release.

Researchers found that mental stress was linked with increase in arterial stiffening. The team accounted for the cardiovascular risks and disease severity, but found that none of these could explain stress-induced hardening of arteries. The results suggest that depression might be a key player in aggravating this condition.

"Depression may cause worsened arterial stiffness with stressful conditions, but not with exercise," said Pratik Pimple, MBBS, from Emory's Rollins School of Public Health and lead author of the study.

"These findings may help explain why depression is linked to adverse cardiovascular outcomes," added Viola Vaccarino, MD, PhD, the study director and the Wilton Looney Chair of Cardiovascular Research in the Department of Epidemiology at Rollins.

The study will be presented at the American Psychosomatic Society's Annual Meeting on March 13, 2014 in San Francisco.