Women With Prenatal Depression Are At An Increased Risk Of Being Diagnosed With Cardiovascular Disease Within Two Years Following Delivery, New Research Finds
According to a new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, women diagnosed with depression during pregnancy are at an increased risk of being diagnosed with cardiovascular disease within two years following childbirth compared to individuals without depression.
The adverse impacts of depression on cardiovascular health have been well-studied among the general population. In fact, men and women who are depressed are more likely to develop heart disease later on in life.
Past research has also found that approximately 20% of women suffer from depression during pregnancy.
But, there has been little research studying prenatal depression as a distinct cardiovascular disease risk factor.
“We need to use pregnancy as a window to future health,” advocated Christina M. Ackerman-Banks, the study’s lead author.
“Complications during pregnancy, including prenatal depression, impact long-term cardiovascular health. The postpartum period provides an opportunity to counsel and screen people for cardiovascular disease in order to prevent these outcomes.”
This research represents the first population-based study that focuses on investigating the association between prenatal depression and postpartum cardiovascular disease diagnosis within two years following childbirth.
For this feat, the team used the Maine Health Data Organization’s All Payer Claims Database to analyze data from more than 100,000 women who gave birth in the state of Maine from 2007 to 2019. The researchers’ goal was to approximate the cumulative risk of cardiovascular disease diagnosis within two years after giving birth.
The team took into account other potentially confounding factors– including age at the time of delivery, smoking, pre-pregnancy depression, pre-pregnancy diabetes, pre-pregnancy hypertension, as well as preeclampsia– and adjusted accordingly.
Masson – stock.adobe.com – illustrative purposes only, not the actual person or child
Afterward, they were able to estimate the risk of developing six different major cardiovascular conditions within two years of childbirth. These conditions included ischemic heart disease, heart failure, cardiomyopathy, arrhythmia/cardiac arrest, high blood pressure, and stroke.
People with prenatal depression were found to have an 83% higher risk of developing ischemic heart disease within two years of delivery as opposed to people without depression.
Additionally, it was revealed that people with prenatal depression have a 60% higher risk of developing arrhythmia/cardiac arrest, a 61% higher risk of developing cardiomyopathy, and a 32% higher risk of receiving a new diagnosis of high blood pressure.
The researchers also conducted an analysis that excluded people with high blood pressure during pregnancy and found that these individuals had an 85% higher risk of developing arrhythmia/cardiac arrest and an 84% higher risk of developing ischemic heart disease.
Stroke and cardiomyopathy risk was also increased, with a 42% and 52% higher risk, respectively.
“Even after excluding those with hypertensive disorders of pregnancy, those with depression during pregnancy still had a significantly higher risk of ischemic heart disease, arrhythmia, stroke, cardiomyopathy, and new chronic hypertension postpartum,” explained Ackerman-Banks.
In high-income nations, including the United States, cardiovascular disease is currently the leading cause of pregnancy-related mortalities. Other pregnancy-related factors that contribute to cardiovascular disease development may include a rise in stress-related hormones and chronic inflammation.
So, the researchers have recommended that any woman diagnosed with prenatal depression take proactive steps to preserve long-term cardiovascular health. To get started, you can speak with your primary care doctor and get screened for other risk factors in order to implement any prevention strategies.
“They should also be screened for Type 2 diabetes and high cholesterol, and implement an exercise regimen, healthy diet, and quit smoking,” Ackerman-Banks added.
To read the study’s complete findings, visit the link here.
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