Cardiovascular diseases, including heart disease and stroke, continue to be the leading cause of death globally, accounting for 32% of all deaths.
Shockingly, 18.6 million people died from this cause in 2019. Depression has also been linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, with previous studies indicating a 72% higher likelihood of developing the condition among those who experience depression.
To explore this further, a new study has analyzed data from over 636,000 people aged 45 and above who sought treatment through England’s national Improving Access to Psychological Therapies (IAPT) service between 2012 and 2020.
This service, which is soon to be renamed “NHS Talking Therapies for anxiety and depression,” provides free access to cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), counseling, and guided self-help sessions, either in person or online.
In the recent study, the researchers utilized the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) to measure depressive symptoms, taking into consideration factors such as lack of interest in activities, sleep issues, and feelings of low mood.
They then linked the outcomes of the psychological treatment provided by the IAPT service, with patients’ healthcare records, to investigate the incidence of cardiovascular events.
The study found that patients whose depression symptoms improved after receiving psychological treatment were 12% less likely to develop cardiovascular disease over an average follow-up period of three years, compared to those who did not experience improvement in their symptoms.
Similar findings were seen for coronary heart disease, stroke, and mortality. Confirmed improvement from depression was associated with a 12% reduction in future cardiovascular disease at any given period (relative to no reliable improvement).
The link was higher among those under the age of 60, who had a 15% lower risk of cardiovascular disease and a 22% decreased risk of mortality from all causes, respectively, compared to people over the age of 60.
Those over the age of 60, on the other hand, had a 5% lower chance of acquiring cardiovascular disease and a 14% lower risk of dying from all other causes combined.
“This study is the first to establish a link between psychological therapy outcomes and future risk of cardiovascular disease,” points out lead author, PhD candidate Celine El Baou.
The results are significant because they imply that psychological treatment may have long-term positive effects on physical health in addition to mental health outcomes.
They emphasize how crucial it is to provide under-represented populations, including minority ethnic groups that may be more susceptible to cardiovascular disease, increased access to psychological counseling.
Alzheimer’s Society financed this study’s dataset.
Source: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehad188
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