Hardening of Arteries Takes Emotional Toll

TUESDAY, April 6, 2004 (HealthDayNews) -- Older people with hardening of the arteries are more likely to be depressed, according to a Dutch study in the April issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.

The study examined the link between atherosclerosis at different locations in the body and depression in 4,019 men and women aged 60 and older. It found that severe atherosclerosis was associated with a higher prevalence of depressive disorders.

The study also found that people with severe coronary calcifications (calcium deposits in the heart) were nearly four times more likely to have depressive symptoms. People with calcifications in the aorta were twice as likely to have depressive symptoms.

"In this population-based study, we found that subjects with atherosclerosis were more likely to be depressed. A combined measure of extracoronary (not in the heart itself) atherosclerosis was related to depressive disorders, although at some of the different locations the association was only moderate and non-significant. A strong relationship was observed only between severe coronary and aortic calcifications and depressive disorders," the study authors wrote.

More information

The American Heart Association has more about atherosclerosis.