In a new study from the Cardiological Group Practice in Germany, researchers found that nearly one in four patients with heart failure is depressed or anxious.
Patients with heart failure were 20% more likely to develop these mental health issues during the five years after diagnosis compared to those with cancer.
Heart failure affects around 65 million people worldwide and is more deadly than some cancers. The number of co-existing conditions in heart failure patients is also rising, and they are connected with poorer quality of life.
This study examined how often depression or anxiety occurred in the course of heart failure compare with various cancers.
The study used information from the nationally representative German Disease Analyzer database, which includes approximately 3% of outpatient practices.
The researchers compared the combined incidence of depression and anxiety during the five years after a diagnosis of heart failure or cancer.
The analysis included adults with an initial diagnosis of heart failure, breast cancer, prostate cancer, or digestive organ cancer in 1,274 general practices between 2000 and 2018.
Within five years after diagnosis, 23.1% of heart failure patients had developed depression or anxiety compared to 25.7%, 22.1%, and 15.0% of patients with breast, digestive, and prostate cancers, respectively.
When compared to overall cancer, heart failure patients had a much higher risk of developing depression or anxiety.
More specifically, the risk of depression or anxiety for heart failure patients was 66% higher than those with prostate cancer and 17% higher than those with gastrointestinal cancer.
Risks of depression and anxiety were similar between heart failure patients and those with breast cancer.
In all four groups, the incidence of depression and anxiety increased continually over the five years of follow-up.
The team says the high incidence of depression and anxiety in heart failure patients shows the importance of these problems.
The rising incidence of psychological problems over time in heart failure could be due to limitations on daily activities caused by fatigue, impaired mobility, and other debilitating symptoms.
Psychological support services for patients with cancer are relatively common. However, more help is needed for those with heart failure—of whom almost one-quarter develop depression or anxiety after their diagnosis.
If you care about depression and anxiety, please read studies about a major cause of depression in older people and findings of some depression drugs may increase death risk.
For more information about mental health, please see recent studies about this blood pressure drug may help reduce anxiety and pain and results showing that this thyroid problem may increase risk of depression and anxiety.
The study is published in the European Journal of Preventive Cardiology. One author of the study is Dr. Mark Luedde.
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