Depression and anxiety have the same effect as smoking and obesity on your health

The annual physical exam in US hospitals usually includes weight tests and questions about unhealthy habits such as smoking, but a new study from the University of California at San Francisco suggests that health care providers health do not forget an important question: are you depressed or are you suffering from anxiety? ?

According to a new study, anxiety and depression can lead to health problems ranging from heart disease to high blood pressure, including arthritis, headaches, sore throats, back and stomach, as well as by effects similar to those of smoking and obesity.

In this study, author Andrea Niles of UCSF's Department of Psychiatry and the San Francisco Medical Center studied the health-related data of more than 15,000 seniors over a four-year period.

The researchers found that 16% (2225) of high levels of anxiety and depression, 31% (4737) were obese and 14% (2125) current smokers, according to their study published in the Journal of Mental Health of 17 December 2018.

The researchers found that participants with anxiety and depression were faced with a 65% increase in heart problems, 64% of strokes, 50% of hypertension and 87% of heart failure. arthritis, compared to those not suffering from anxiety or depression.

These increased probabilities are similar to those of smokers or obese patients, but for arthritis, severe anxiety and depression appear to entail higher risks of smoking and obesity, the researchers said.