Anxiety, depression may worsen your heart health
New York, July 8: Symptoms of depression and anxiety are present in about one-third of patients with heart failure and these patients are at a higher risk of progressive heart diseases and other adverse outcomes, a new study suggests.
The study, published in the journal Harvard Review of Psychiatry, found evidence confirming "markedly higher" rates of depression and anxiety disorders among patients with heart failure, compared to the general population.
Heart failure is a chronic, progressive condition in which the heart can't pump enough blood, causing symptoms such as fatigue and shortness of breath.
"Depression has been linked to the development and progression of heart failure and other cardiovascular diseases," said co-author Christopher Celano from Harvard University' s Medical School.
The researchers said that previous studies have linked psychiatric disorders to worse outcomes in patients with heart failure.
To clarify these relationships, the researchers did a targeted review of research on associations between heart failure, depression, and anxiety.
The researchers found that anxiety is highly frequent among patients with heart failure and both physiological and behavioural factors may contribute to adverse outcomes.
Nearly 30 per cent of patients have clinically significant anxiety symptoms, while 13 per cent meet diagnostic criteria for anxiety disorders (such as generalized anxiety disorder, post traumatic stress disorder or panic disorder).
Depression and anxiety may make it more difficult for patients with heart failure to follow recommendations for diet, exercise and medication use. Earlier studies have also linked depression to metabolic changes, including increased levels of inflammatory markers, the researchers added.
The researchers noted that formal diagnostic interviews (i.e. based on DSM-5 criteria) can help in assessing the cause of overlapping symptoms between heart failure and depression or anxiety including problems with sleep, concentration, or energy.
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MP: 7-year-old girl raped and murdered; minor relative detained
Barwani (MP), Jan 28 (PTI) Police on Wednesday detained a 17-year-old relative of a seven-year-old girl in Barwani district of Madhya Pradesh for allegedly raping her and killing her by throwing her into a canal, a police official said.
Superintendent of Police Jagdish Dawar told reporters that the body of the child was recovered from the Indira Sagar Canal on January 26, following information from residents of a village in the Rajpur police station area of the district.
He said the post-mortem report concluded severe injuries to the girl’s private parts and attributed her death to drowning.
Dawar said a 17-year-old boy, a close relative of the girl, has been detained in connection with the rape-murder.
The teenager told the police that he kidnapped the girl from her home on the night of January 25 while her family members were asleep, took her to a nearby canal and raped her, according to the official.
When the girl started screaming during the sexual assault, the minor boy allegedly threw her into the canal, with the intention of killing her. The child drowned in the water body, the official said.
The detained minor will be produced in a juvenile court.
A case has been registered under the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and an investigation is underway, he added.
