Study: Depression Adds To Stroke Risk For Women
Reported September 01, 2009
(Chicago, IL) — Women who are chronically depressed are more likely to suffer from a stroke.
Researchers at the University of Minnesota Medical School have discovered women who suffer from hopelessness tend to build up plaque in their neck arteries.
That not only increases stroke risk but the finding suggests those women are also at higher risk of future heart disease.
For the study, researchers looked at 559 women with an average age of 50 with no clinical sign of heart disease.
To measure hopelessness, the women were asked questions about the future and personal goals.
Ultrasound was used to measure the thickness of their neck arteries.
Those who reported feeling hopeless about their future or personal goals had more thickening which is a predictor of stroke and eventual heart attack.
Study details are printed in the journal “Stroke.”
Source : Newsroom Solutions