As a result of confinement, in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic, many people have reported depressive symptoms, even those who are not normally at risk for depression.
Patricio López-Jaramillo, scientific director of the Masira Research Institute of the Faculty of Health Sciences of the University of Santander, explains that the results of the study are timely since an increase in the number of people facing health problems is anticipated. mental as a result of the period of isolation.
This worldwide study, in which Udes participated, reflects a 20% increase in cardiovascular events and in the death of people who presented with four or more depressive symptoms.
To obtain the results, data from more than 145 thousand participants from 21 high, middle and low income countries were analyzed; middle-aged and who have been followed for almost nine years.
In Colombia, the study included 7,500 people from 11 departments in which risk factors were identified, finding a two-way relationship between depression and cardiovascular disease.
Also read: In Bucaramanga there are 100 cases of COVID-19 for every 100,000 inhabitants.
“Patients with a cardiovascular event have a higher percentage of depressive symptoms and depressed patients have a higher incidence of cardiovascular events,” explained López-Jaramillo.
What are the causes?
According to the study, the greater presence of common risk factors such as smoking, urbanization, and mechanisms such as low-grade inflammation and alterations in cardiac autonomic regulation, would explain the association of these two diseases.
Likewise, López-Jaramillo explained that “the changes in life routine and anxiety currently caused by uncertainty due to social isolation, and the fear of COVID-19 contagion are increasing the risk of presenting depressive symptoms, especially in the older adults, for which it is essential to make the necessary efforts to implement, as a priority, programs aimed at taking care of mental health in these times of confinement ”.
In Colombia, according to data from the Health Situation Analysis, Asis, published in 2019, between 2005 and 2017 cardiovascular diseases were the leading cause of mortality in the country.
In turn, in the last year, the heart attack produced 53.3% of the deaths of adults, more than 38 thousand deaths; stroke 21.1%, which resulted in nearly 15 thousand deaths and hypertension 12.2%, with more than 8 thousand deaths.
For the scientific director of the Masira Research Institute, this situation is associated with the fact that more than half of the Colombian adult population is overweight and obese, dyslipidemia, high cholesterol and triglycerides, hypertension and increased blood sugar.
“Risk factors for depression and cardiovascular disease have been identified to affect nitric oxide production, however, there are many other theories, such as an imbalance in catecholamine production. Without a doubt, the explanation of this association is still a field to be investigated ”, he indicated.
The study results were published in the journal Jama Psychiatry of the American Medical Association (AMA).
One of their conclusions is that a greater awareness of the physical health risks associated with depression is needed.
“As depressive symptoms are so frequent in our population, it is necessary that the first approach to this risk factor for cardiovascular disease be identified, like the other risk factors, initially by the family doctor or by the primary care physician to define if it should be referred to the specialist or if it can be managed at the primary care level ”.
In addition, the study suggests implementing programs aimed at the most vulnerable groups such as the low-income and socially excluded socio-economic sectors, through comprehensive public policies, with which mental well-being and healthy behaviors are promoted, as part of a comprehensive strategy to control non-communicable diseases.
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