Link between heart disease and depression

The people being depressed are at a greater risk of getting heart attacks and strokes. The ACS (Acute Coronary Syndrome) is stressful physiologically as well as psychologically. According to the recent studies of the Heart Rate Variability, the depressed people have lesser heart-beat as compared to the normal ones. However, their heart-beat increased when they were freed of depression.

This was done by the help of the anti depressants. The use of anti depressants to treat depression of the patients of heart disease has been declared to be safe. If depression is found in patients with heart disease, it may increase the chances of death by three times. Major depression usually impairs the Heart Rate Variability. A depressed person has various types of stress.

This stress releases some chemicals in the body. These chemicals may include adrenaline. This puts the body in the “flight or fight” mode. The chemicals even increase the flow of blood to the muscles, respiring rate as well as rate of heart-beat. Thus, it worsens the condition of a heart patient. The patients who are suffering from depression as well as heart disease should have their psychiatrist and cardiologist in close contact. Thus, the treatment can be perfectly coordinated.