Depressed women at twice the stroke risk

WOMEN in their 40s and 50s with depression are more than twice as likely to suffer a stroke, warns a study.

Evidence suggests the condition makes them more vulnerable in this age group – younger than previously expected.

In the 12-year study of thousands of women aged 47 to 52, it was found those with depression were 2.4 times more likely to suffer a stroke compared to those without.

Study author Caroline Jackson said: ‘Doctors need to recognise the serious nature of poor mental health and what effects it can have in the long term.

‘We may need more targeted approaches to prevent and treat depression in younger women.’

Depression affects one in ten adults in the UK at any time. There has been a big rise in the prescription of anti-depressants

‘Need targeted approaches’

in the past 20 years, particularly for women.

Dr Jackson, an epidemiologist, and colleagues at the University of Queensland analysed results from the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women’s Health. This was the first large- scale study examining the l i nk between depression and stroke in younger middle-aged women.

The reasons for any link are unclear but the effects on blood vessels of the body’s inflammatory and immunological processes may be involved, she said.

Other possible factors are that patients with depression tend to have less healthy diets and take less exercise. They are also less likely to take medicine if they have high blood pressure or cholesterol, both risk factors for stroke.

Some anti-depressants may also slightly raise the threat.

The study was published in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association.