- According to the
World Health Organization (WHO), depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide. - It affects at least 5% of adults, with more women than men experiencing depression symptoms.
- A multinational study has found that people with depression symptoms are more likely to experience a stroke, and their recovery from stroke is often more difficult.
- In this study, people with symptoms of depression had a 46% increased stroke risk compared with those without such symptoms.
Depression affects approximately
Psychological symptoms of depression include persistently depressed mood, feelings of worthlessness, loss of interest in pleasurable activities, difficulty concentrating, and even thoughts of suicide.
In addition, depression may cause physical symptoms, such as fatigue, lack of appetite, headaches, chronic pain, and digestive issues.
Research has also linked depression with cardiovascular disease (CVD), with
Now, an international study, published in Neurology, has found that people with depressive symptoms have an increased risk of both ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke, and worse recovery after a stroke.
Dr. Curtis Benesch, medical director of the University of Rochester Medical Center Comprehensive Stroke Center, not involved in this study, commented on the findings for Medical News Today:
“This paper describes a well-done observational study. It relies on self-reported symptoms of depression, though, and there is some subjectivity in that. […] However, the authors have done an excellent job in generating the potential impact of a prior stroke by matching cases with controls that mirror age, other risk factors, race and ethnicity, and to some…
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