Patients with
Depression Have Slow Heart Rate Recover - Depressed Cardiac
Rehabilitation Participants May Have Higher Death Rate - Attack
June 1st 2006
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Dr. Joel Hughes |
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Researchers have discovered that there is a link between depression and
the length of time it takes for a patient to return to a normal heart
rate during cardiac rehabilitation. The research, published in the
American Heart Journal, indicates that heart rate recovery after
exercise was slower among patients with symptoms of depression.
The heart rate recovery after a treadmill stress test is a good
indication of how the autonomic nervous system is functioning, according
to a report by Reuters Health. Dr. Joel W. Hughes, co-author of the
study, and colleagues from Kent State University of Ohio said that
patients who take longer to recover their normal heart rate also have an
increased risk of mortality.
The report says that the autonomic nervous system helps the body to
adapt to changes in the environment, adjusting or modifying body
functions in response to stress. The autonomic system also regulates
blood pressure, heart rate, airflow to the lungs, the digestive process,
insulin secretion, urinary function and sexual response.
The research was based on a study of 260 patients entering phase II
cardiac rehabilitation who completed an exercise treadmill test. This
test gives a good assessment of heart rate recovery two minutes after
the patients exercise.
The patients were also given the Beck Depression Inventory which is used
to assess symptoms of depression. They found that heart rate recovery
after exercise was slower among patients with higher scores on Beck
Depression Inventory. The researchers considered factors such as the
patient age, sex, and the use of beta-blocker drugs.
The report says that the relationship between depression score and heart
rate recovery was not “statistically significant” after factoring in the
effects of exercise capacity. This indicates that exercise capacity may
partly explain this relationship. Hughes believes that "anxiety
and depression confer an increased risk of death following a heart
attack".
The researchers said “A role of physical fitness in the relationship
between depression and heart rate is not surprising in light of the
evidence that heart rate recovery is highly correlated with exercise
capacity, depression predicts physical inactivity among patients at risk
for heart disease, and depression symptoms are associated with reduced
exercise capacity for patients with coronary artery disease.”
They believe that altered exercise capacity may be one mechanism whereby
depression leads to autonomic dysfunction and poor prognosis among
cardiac rehabilitation patients. It this is true, treatment programs
that focus on improving physical fitness may benefit depressed cardiac
patients.
Hughes and his team say "A number of
related psychosocial factors appear to confer risk for the development
of hypertension and coronary heart disease. Examples include hostility,
low social support, anxiety, and depression. Psychological distress is
also implicated in cardiac patients’ prognosis."
Dan Wilson
Best Syndication
Books on Heart Disease
Keywords and misspellings:
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