Stress and depression can have a significant impact on a person’s health, and they have been particularly linked to an increased risk of heart attacks, especially among women.
Additionally, they can affect the recovery process after a heart attack.
A recent study published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology set out to understand how stress and depression affect women who experience heart attacks, specifically examining whether these factors play a more significant role in heart attacks with blocked arteries or open arteries.
Stress and Depression: Common Among Women with Heart Attacks
Researchers conducted a study involving 486 female patients who had experienced heart attacks.
These patients were asked to complete questionnaires to assess their perceived stress and symptoms of depression both at the time of their heart attack and two months later.
The goal was to gain insights into the prevalence of stress and depression among women who had suffered heart attacks and how these conditions evolved over time.
Higher Stress Levels in Heart Attacks with Blocked Arteries
The study’s findings revealed that stress and depression were indeed prevalent among women who had experienced heart attacks, both at the time of the event and for two months afterward.
However, an interesting distinction emerged. Women who had heart attacks due to blockages in their coronary arteries (known as MI-CAD) had higher stress levels compared to those who had heart attacks with open arteries (known as MINOCA).
Dr. Anaïs Hausvater, the study’s first author and a cardiologist at the Sarah Ross Soter Center for Women’s Cardiovascular Research at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine in New York, emphasized the importance of these findings.
She pointed out that identifying high-risk patients who do not show improvement in stress levels or even get worse after a heart attack is crucial.
Dr. Hausvater stressed that clinicians, including cardiologists, should proactively screen their female patients with heart disease for symptoms of stress, anxiety, and depression.
Understanding the Impact of Stress and Depression
While both groups of women—those with heart attacks and open arteries and those with blocked arteries—displayed signs of stress and depression, those with open arteries reported lower levels of stress, both during and after the heart attack.
This is noteworthy because little is known about what causes heart attacks with open arteries (MINOCA).
Consequently, patients experiencing MINOCA often have fewer answers about why it occurred and how they can prevent it from happening again.
Dr. Hausvater emphasized that the lack of understanding surrounding MINOCA can cause significant distress among patients.
Past studies have suggested that stress might play a more prominent role in the development of MINOCA, but this new research challenges that assumption.
One possible explanation for the differences in stress levels between the two groups of patients could be age-related. Younger patients may face different sources of stress compared to older individuals.
Older women, who are more likely to experience blocked arteries, may grapple with additional financial stressors, as well as the illness or loss of aging partners.
Looking Ahead: Future Research
The study’s findings provide valuable insights into the relationship between stress, depression, and heart health in women.
Future studies by this research group will delve deeper into understanding sex differences in psychosocial factors among both men and women who have experienced heart attacks.
Additionally, researchers are working on a study that explores stress interventions specifically designed for women after a heart attack.
In summary, this research underscores the importance of considering the psychological well-being of women with heart disease.
Stress and depression can have a profound impact on heart health, and recognizing and addressing these factors early in the care process is crucial for improving outcomes and overall quality of life for women affected by heart disease.
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The research findings can be found in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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