New study shows that depression and suicide risk is linked to heart disease

A new study has found that people with acute coronary syndrome might possible be at risk of depression and suicide.

The risk also increased with age and frequency of healthcare system use

Dr. Chao-Han Liu and his colleagues from the Institute of Applied Science and Technology in Taipei analyzed data on 41,050 people who were aged 35 or older and died from suicide between the year 2000 and 2012. They then compared it to 164,200 people who did not take their own lives.

Researchers found that in the suicide group, the rate of acute coronary syndrome was 2.5%, compared to 1.5% in the comparison group.

They then adjusted the results to account for other factors that influence the risk of suicide and found that people with the condition were 15% more likely to take their lives. The risk persisted for an average of four years, but surprisingly, the risk was three times higher. They also found that the risk of suicide increased with age, and the frequency of healthcare system use.

People should pay attention to the results

According to Donald Edmondson, director of the Center for Behavioral Cardiovascular Health at Columbia University Medical Center in New York City, added that the data was strong enough to warrant people's attention.

While there hasn't been enough research done about depression and heart problems, medical experts have been trying to understand how to best manage depression after a heart attack. Dr. Samir Kapadia shares, "Maybe people taking care of depressed patients should also ask them about chest pain and heart problems, because they go hand in hand."

She adds that people who feel depressed after being diagnosed with acute coronary syndrome should not feel ashamed or scared to talk to their doctor about their depression.

Edmonson adds, "Even though your husband, wife or whoever had one of these events and is going to be fine in terms of cardiovascular health and longevity, they may not be able to tell you the true psychological impact it’s having."

Keeping your heart healthy

Here are 5 top tips that you should always do if you want to keep your heart healthy:

1. Quit smoking. If you're a smoker, it's best to quit smoking to keep your heart healthy since smoking has a lot of negative effects on your body.
2. Stay Active. Keeping yourself active is another way of keeping your heart healthy. Exercise keeps your heart pumping, and helps keep it strong and healthy.
3. Lose weight. Losing weight is another important factor when it comes to having a healthy heart. Being overweight leads to a lot of health problems, including plaque build up in your arteries which can cause heart problems. Lose weight by staying active, and eating healthier.
4. Have less fat in your diet. You are what you eat. If you keep on eating healthy food, you'll make yourself healthier. If you keep on eating fatty and junk food, you'll make your body worse.
5. Cut back on your salt intake. While our bodies do need salt, we don't need a lot of it as we can get salt naturally from the other food we eat. Try and lessen your salt intake since salt can increase your blood pressure which can also cause health problems.

Sources: in.reuters.com, huffingtonpost.com, www.nhs.uk

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