People suffering from depression are more than twice as likely to die after coronary bypass surgery than non-depressed people are. The 12-year-long study of more than 800 bypass patients was conducted by Dr James A Blumenthal and colleagues at Duke University Medical Centers in Durham, North Carolina. Results showed that patients suffering from moderate to severe depression before surgery were 2.4-times more likely to die after surgery than those not suffering from depression. Those that suffered from depression both before and for up to 6-months after surgery were found to have a two increased risk of death. Blumenthal says that the results show that “physicians need to be more cognizant of the potential importance of depression.” He suggests that a person’s mental state should be considered in addition to conventional cardiac risk factors such as hypertension and smoking.
SOURCE/REFERENCE: Reported by www.reutershealth.com on the 22nd August 2003.
