New study reveals relationship between depression and anxiety and heart disease, blood pressure and cancer

The annual physical exam usually includes a measure of weight 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 forget a important question: are you depressed or worried?

New research has shown that anxiety and depression can be a major predictor of disparate diseases such as heart disease, high blood pressure, arthritis, headaches, back pain and stomach upset, and had effects similar to those of long-term risk factors, Science Science Daily reported. Such as smoking and obesity.

The study included data on the health of more than 15,000 adults over four years. Sixteen percent (2225 people) had high levels of anxiety and depression, 31% (4737 people) were obese and 14% (2125) were current smokers, according to a study published in the journal Health Psychology of 17 December. .

The study found that people with high anxiety and depression, the risk of heart disease increased by 65%, the risk of stroke by 64%, the exposure to high blood pressure of more than 50% and the incidence of arthritis 87% compared to those who do not suffer from anxiety and depression.

However, in the case of arthritis, extreme anxiety and depression rates seem to pose higher risks than those caused by smoking and obesity, "said an experienced researcher involved in the study.

Unlike other diseases studied, cancer is an exception: the researchers said that high rates of depression and anxiety did not contribute to cancer. This is confirmed by the results of previous studies, but it is at odds with the idea that prevails in many patients, according to the researchers.