20% of heart failure patients become clinically depressed

New research has shown that about 20% of heart failure patients become clinically depressed. According to Dr Edward
Havranek, lead researcher "Depressive symptoms in patients with heart failure are strongly associated with a decline in
health status and an increase in the risk of hospitalization and death."


The study was carried out at the Denver Health Medical Center, Colorado, USA, where Dr Havranek works.


One fifth of the patients became clinically depressed one year after their heart failure.


You can read about this study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.


The following factors greatly increase a heart failure patient's chances of developing depression after the attack:


-- If the patient lives alone


-- If the patient finds the costs of treatment difficult and worrying


-- If the patient has a history of alcohol abuse


-- If the patient has much worse heart failure scores


Patients without any of the four factors mentioned above had only a 8% risk of developing clinical depression. Patients with
one factor had a 15% risk, two or three factors had a 36-69% risk. The researchers do not know what the risk is for a
patient with all four factors as there were none in their study.


The researchers said doctors need to be mindful of the risks of developing clinical depression experienced by heart failure
patients.