A Reason for Heart Patients to Stay Happy

A Reason for Heart Patients to Stay HappyAccording to researchers, depression in heart patients can in most probability lead to heart failure despite the usage of anti depressants.

"Our data suggest that depression is an important and emerging risk factor for heart failure among patients with coronary heart disease," Heidi May of Intermountain Medical Center in Utah, whose study appears in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, said in a statement.

During the study, researchers studied nearly 14,000 people with clogged heart arteries but no signs of depression at the time of diagnosis. The patients were closely followed till they developed heart failure or died.

Ten percent of these people i.e. 1,377 of them were found to develop depression after the diagnosis and the incidence of heart failure in this group was found to be double the rate among those who did not have depression.  

"This finding may indicate that antidepressants may not be able to alter the physical or behavioral risks associated with depression and heart failure, despite a potential improvement in depressive symptoms," May said.