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An Unpredictable Chronic Mild Stress Protocol for Instigating Depressive Symptoms, Behavioral Changes and Negative Health Outcomes in Rodents
Published on: December 2, 2015
[Depression and cardiovascular diseases in the elderly]
Lucretia Angheel1, Rodica Ghiuru, Cristina-Maria Gavrilescu
1Universităţii de Medicină şi Farmacie Gr. T. Popa Iaşi, Universitatea de Medicină şi Farmacie Gr. T. Popa Iaşi, Facultatea de Medicină.
Insights
Depression is linked to cardiovascular disease, with higher cholesterol and blood pressure seen in severe cases. This highlights depression as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events.
Area of Science:
- Geriatric Medicine
- Cardiology
- Psychiatry
Context:
- Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a leading cause of mortality globally.
- Depression is a common comorbidity in elderly populations.
- The relationship between depression and CVD risk factors requires further investigation.
Purpose:
- To investigate the association between depression and cardiovascular disease.
- To determine if depression is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events.
- To analyze the correlation between depression severity and cardiovascular risk factors.
Summary:
- A study of 413 patients assessed depression using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) and evaluated cardiovascular risk factors.
- Results indicated a higher prevalence of dyslipidemia, obesity, and depression in women.
- Severe depression correlated with elevated cholesterol, blood pressure, and increased cardiovascular risk.
Impact:
- Depression is identified as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular events.
- Cardiovascular risk factors escalate with depression severity, necessitating comprehensive patient evaluation.
- Individualized treatment strategies are crucial for managing comorbidities and improving quality of life in elderly patients with depression.
Unlabelled:
The aim of this study was to reveal if there are connections between depression and cardiovascular disease.
Material And Method:
We have studied 413 patients from Jorasti, Jud Galati on a two-years period (2008-2010). On these patients there was performed a careful history taking and they were physically examined (height, weight, body mass index, waist, blood pressure, heart rate). There was also performed an ECG (electrocardiogram), there were measured the levels of cholesterolemia, HDL-cholesterolemia, trygliceridemia and creatininemia. We used the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) in order to evaluate depression.
Results:
in these patients there was noticed a higher prevalence of dyslipidemias, obesity and depression in women. Out of the 46 women with mild and severe depression 32 are overweight, 7 have obesity, 29 a high cholesterol, 23 a high LDL-cholesterol; all of them had a high risk or the presence of cardiovascular disease.
Conclusions:
Depression is an independent risk factor for producing a cardiovascular event; the level of cholesterol and of the blood preessure was higher in patients with severe depression, proving that the level of the cardiovascular risk factors increased with the severity of the depression. Treating the elderly, which often associate depression, makes necessary a careful evaluation of all comorbidities and risks, in order to establish perfect individualized strategies of improving the quality of life.
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