Can Depression and Anxiety cause Heart problems?

 


Can Depression and Anxiety cause Heart problems?

Anxietyand depression disorders come with a high amount of fear and uncertainty. When this fear and certainty keeps the heart attack or heart disease patient from following the advice and treatment plan by their respective cardiologist, it can have a major impact on the recovery. When someone is anxious, their body reacts in a way that can put an extra strain or effect on their heart. The physical symptoms of anxiety and depression or some psychological issues can be mostly damaging among the individuals with the existing cardiac disease.

Anxiety and Depression may have an association with the following heart disorders and cardiac risk factors:

Rapid heart rate (tachycardia) – In serious cases, this can interfere with the normal heart function and increases the major risk of sudden cardiac arrest or attack.

Increased blood pressure – If becomes chronic, can lead to the coronary disease, weakening of the heart muscle and the heart failure.

Decreased heart rate variability – May result in the higher incidence of death after an acute heart attack.

Mentalstress has a negative effect on a person’s heart health. Unmanaged stress can lead to the high blood pressure, arterial damage, and irregular heart rhythms and weakens their immune system. Patients with depression have been shown to have increased platelet reactivity, decreased heart variability and also increased proinflammatory markers which are all the risk factors for cardiovascular disease. For people with heart disease, depression can increase the risk of an adverse cardiac event such as a heart attack, arrest or blood clots. For people who do not have heart disease, depression can also increase the risk of a heart attack and develops the coronary artery disease. During recovery from cardiac surgery, depression can intensify their pain, worsens fatigue and sluggishness, or causes a person to withdraw into social isolation or stays alone. Patients with heart failure and depression may have an increased risk of being readmitted to the hospital, and also have an increased mortality risk. Early research findings have indicated that there may be some genetic factors that increases patient’s risk of depression and risk of recurring of cardiac events after a heart attack.

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