Young adults with depression, poor mental health at greater CVD risk
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Depression and high quantity of poor mental health days are independently associated with premature CVD and suboptimal CV health in young people, according to a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.
“The relationship between depression and heart disease is a two-way street. Depression increases your risk of heart issues, and those with heart disease experience depression,” Yaa A. Kwapong, MD, MPH, a postdoctoral research fellow at Johns Hopkins Ciccarone Center for the Prevention of Cardiovascular Disease, said in a press release. “Our study suggests that we need to prioritize mental health among young adults and perhaps increase screening and monitoring for heart disease in people with mental health conditions and vice versa to improve overall heart health.”
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Kwapong and colleagues noted that the data used in the study is reflective of depression rates before the COVID-19 pandemic.
The cross-sectional study included 593,616 young adults aged 18 to 49 years (mean age, 34.7 years); their data were collected from the 2017 to 2020 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, an annual phone survey that assesses health-related risk behaviors and chronic conditions across all 50 states and U.S. territories. Participants were stratified by whether they had depression and whether they had 0 days, 1 to 13 days or 14 to 30 days of poor mental health per month.
Outcomes of interest were self-reported CVD and suboptimal CV health ( 2 CV risk factors: hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, overweight/obesity, smoking, diabetes, physical inactivity and inadequate fruit and vegetable intake).
Of all participants included, the weighted prevalence of depression was 19.6% (95% CI, 19.4-19.8) and the weighted prevalence of CVD was 2.5% (95% CI, 2.4-2.6).
Those with depression had higher odds of CVD (adjusted OR = 2.32; 95% CI, 2.13-2.51). Compared with those with 0 days per month of poor mental health, those with 1 to 13 days (aOR = 1.48; 95% CI, 1.34-1.62) and those with 14 to 30 days (aOR = 2.29; 95% CI, 2.08-2.51) had higher odds of CVD, Kwapong and colleagues wrote.
In addition, among those without CVD, 79.8% had suboptimal CV health, and those with depression had higher odds of suboptimal CV health (aOR = 1.76; 95% CI, 1.65-1.87) compared with those without depression. Compared with those with 0 days per month of poor mental health, those with 1 to 13 days (aOR = 1.23; 95% CI, 1.17-1.29) and those with 14 to 30 days (aOR = 1.79; 95% CI, 1.65-1.95) had higher odds of suboptimal CV health, according to the researchers.
“When you’re stressed, anxious or depressed, you may feel overwhelmed, and your heart rate and blood pressure rises. It’s also common that feeling down could lead to making poor lifestyle choices like smoking, drinking alcohol, sleeping less and not being physically active — all adverse conditions that negativity impact your heart,” Cardiology Today Editorial Board Member Garima Sharma, MD, associate professor of medicine at Johns Hopkins Medicine, said in the release.
Reference:
- Johns Hopkins Medicine. www.hopkinsmedicine.org/news/newsroom/news-releases/new-study-finds-depression-poor-mental-health-linked-to-higher-heart-disease-risks-among-young-adults. Published Jan. 30, 2023. Accessed Feb. 2, 2023.
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