What is the link between depression and heart disease?

RAMALLAH – Heart disease has been closely linked to depression for many years, but scientists have not been able to determine the cause of this association.

A recent study found that inflammation, the body's first line of defense, could be the cause. The researchers found that heart disease and depression trigger inflammatory substances in the blood.

Inflammation is associated with high levels of "harmful" cholesterol and triglycerides, the fats in our blood.

Researchers at the University of Cambridge analyzed data from more than 360,000 participants to verify this discovery.

"It is likely that heart disease and depression share common biological mechanisms," said Dr. Gulam Khandaker, author of the study.

He added that this common mechanism "can appear in two different cases in two different members, the cardiovascular system and the brain".

"Our work suggests that inflammation can be a common mechanism for these cases," he said.

Previous research indicates that about 40% of patients experience depression after a heart attack, while 15% of people with cardiovascular disease suffer from severe forms of mental health.

This association has been judged so strong that it can not be attributed to the emotional disturbances caused solely by the fight against heart disease.

To determine whether environmental or genetic factors play a role in this association, researchers analyzed approximately 368,000 Europeans of the middle-aged biobank.

Participants were asked if they were depressed or unable to appreciate objects for at least a week and asked for medical help in a bad mood.

They also reported whether their mother or father had suffered from heart disease.

The researchers analyzed the DNA of other bioactive participants who did not participate in the first part of the study to determine whether there was a genetic link between the two cases.

The findings, published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry, showed that people who lost one of their parents due to heart disease were at greater risk for depression, but the study did not found genetic link between the two cases.