WOMEN with depression may also be at increased risk of having a stroke, US researchers suggest. A study of over 80,000 women found those with a history of depression had a 29% increased risk of stroke. The research, in Stroke: Journal of the American Heart Association, said doctors should be aware people with depression may neglect their general health. UK stroke experts said depression alone was unlikely to increase stroke risk.
The women, all aged 54-79, who were all taking part in the long-running Nurses’ Health Study which has been following women across the US since the mid 1970s. In this study, the researchers looked at data from 2000 to 2006. None had had a stroke before the study began, while 22% had been diagnosed with depression. Compared to women without a history of depression, depressed women were more likely to be single, smokers and less physically active.