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There is indeed a significant link between mental health and heart health. Women, despite having a longer life expectancy than men, are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression after a heart attack, according to a European study.
Published in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomesa studyconducted by the University of Amsterdam, analyzed data from 1,250 survivors (259 women and 996 men) of cardiac arrest, with an average age of 53, over a five-year period. The results show that women are more prone to anxiety and depression than men after a myocardial infarction.
“We looked at a number of factors to determine the five-year consequences of cardiac arrest, and we found, most significantly, a 50% increase in antidepressant prescriptions in the first year for women, which was not the case for men. This then declined to about 20% after five years.” says Robin Smits, a researcher at the Amsterdam Institute of Public Health, in a communicated.
The researchers behind this study also analyzed socioeconomic data from its control group and observed a significant drop in employment rates and income, as well as a frequent change in the primary income earner in the household after cardiac arrest.This suggests that it was difficult for individuals to return to the labour market“, explains Robin Smits. The difficulty in returning to the job market can therefore generate stress and promote inactivity, which can lead to depression.
Previous studies have shown a higher survival rate in women than in men after cardiac arrest. However, “Consequences of cardiac arrest differ by gender“, explains the author of the study.”While women are more likely to survive and live longer, they are also more likely to be affected by mental health problems following cardiac arrest.” she concludes.
The existence of a link between heart health and mental health has been studied before. In 2014, theAmerican Heart Association suggested that one in five people hospitalized for a heart attack or chest pain developed depression, about four times the rate in the general population.