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Comorbidity of cardiovascular diseases with mood and anxiety disorder: a population based 4-year study

Kai-Lin Huang1, Tung-Ping Su, Tzeng-Ji Chen

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan.

Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences
|July 2, 2009
PubMed

Insights

Patients with mood and anxiety disorders have a higher risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Young adults under 20 experienced the highest risk, while older adults over 65 had a reduced risk. This highlights age as a key factor in mental health and heart disease links.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiovascular epidemiology
  • Psychiatric comorbidity
  • Geriatric medicine

Background:

  • Growing evidence links mood and anxiety disorders to cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in Caucasian populations.
  • Limited data exists for Asian populations, and the impact of age on this association is under-researched.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate and compare cardiovascular comorbidities in Taiwanese patients with mood and anxiety disorders.
  • To examine the influence of different age groups on the risk of CVD in these patients.

Main Methods:

  • A 4-year, population-based, cross-sectional study.
  • Utilized the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database (2000-2003).
  • Included over 1 million patients with mood and anxiety disorders.

Main Results:

  • Patients with mood and anxiety disorders had a significantly increased relative risk (RR) for ischemic heart disease (RR=2.0) and hypertensive disorders (RR=2.05).
  • The highest RR was observed in individuals under 20 years old (RR=4.74 and 4.08, respectively).
  • The lowest RR was found in individuals aged 65 and older (RR=0.47 and 0.58, respectively).

Conclusions:

  • Taiwanese patients with mood and anxiety disorders exhibit substantial cardiovascular morbidity, particularly those with anxiety disorders.
  • Age significantly modifies the relationship between mood, anxiety disorders, and CVD.
  • Further research across diverse age groups is crucial to understand the causality and progression of CVD in individuals with mental health conditions.
Abstract

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