Heart Disease and Depression

An international study is saying that there may be a genetic link between
heart disease and depression, and why patients with heart disease are likely
to develop depression symptoms. Alongside the genetic issues found, heart
disease also has the ability to adversely impact quality of life and
lifestyle, which can induce depressive qualities.

The Times of India said of the study, "In the study involving 977 heart
patients, the researchers looked at 59 different candidate genes because of
their relevance to a biological pathway of interest or their prior
association with depression in medical literature. They discovered that
genetic variations involving endothelial dysfunction - a hallmark for
vascular diseases, such as atherosclerosis - and platelet aggregation appear
to contribute to depressive symptoms."

In the past studies have shown 15 to 20 percent of heart disease patients
suffer from depression, also most of them had just recently experienced a
negative and serious cardiac issue.

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