Young adults who feel depressed are more likely to develop cardiovascular disease, according to a study led by researchers at Johns Hopkins University, who analyzed data from more than half a million people between the ages of 18 and 49. The findings add to a growing body of evidence connecting cardiovascular disorders to depression and suggest that the relationship between the two could begin in early adulthood.

The study, published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, also found that young adults who feel depressed or in poor mental health had higher rates of heart attacks, strokes and heart disease risk factors compared to their peers without mental health problems.

HOW ARE BRAIN AND HEART HEALTH RELATED?

When you are stressed, anxious or depressed, your heart rate and blood pressure increase. It’s also common for feeling depressed to lead to poor decisions, such as smoking, drinking alcohol, sleeping less and not being physically active, habits that negatively impact the heart, explains Garima Sharma, professor and lead author of the study.

Sharma and colleagues analyzed data from 593,616 adults who participated in the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, a representative U.S.-wide survey conducted between 2017 and 2020. The survey included questions about whether they had ever been told they had a depressive disorder how many days they experienced mental health problems in the past month (0 days, 1 to 13 days, or 14 to 30 days), whether they had suffered a heart attack, stroke or chest pain, and whether they had risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

Risk factors include high blood pressure, high cholesterol, overweight/obesity, smoking, diabetes, and poor physical activity and diet. People who had two or more of these risk factors were considered to have suboptimal cardiovascular health.

IN THE UNITED STATES, ONE IN FIVE ADULTS OFTEN FEELS DEPRESSED

The study also revealed the high incidence of depression in the United States. The data may have been influenced by the fact that the last year of the research was the first of the covid-19 pandemic. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the percentage of adults who experienced depression or anxiety increased from 36.4% to 41.5% during the first year of the pandemic, with the highest peak among 18- to 29-year-olds.

The study showed that, overall, people who feel depressed for several days have a stronger association with poor heart health and diseases of the circulatory system. Compared to people who did not report suffering from days of poor mental health in the past 30 days, participants who reported up to 13 days of poor mental health were 1.5 times more likely to have cardiovascular disease, while those with 14 or more days of poor mental health were twice as likely. Associations between poor mental health and cardiovascular disease did not differ significantly by gender or by place of residence (city or country).

“The relationship between depression and heart disease is a two-way street. Depression increases the risk of heart problems, and people with heart disease experience depression,” said Yaa Adoma Kwapong, a postdoctoral researcher at Johns University’s Ciccarone Center. “Our study suggests that we need to prioritize mental health among young adults and perhaps increase screening and management of heart disease in people with mental health issues and vice versa to improve overall heart health.”

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