Heart Health
Stroke risk rises in people who are depressed
People who are depressed are more likely to develop heart disease than those who aren't. It works the other way, too — people who have heart disease are more likely to lapse into depression than their disease-free counterparts.
The same association appears to exist between depression and stroke. This isn't a huge surprise, considering that the conditions that cause heart disease — like clogged arteries and inflammation — also contribute to strokes. Still, researchers can only speculate on how depression contributes to these dangerous cardiovascular events or the biological disorders leading up to them.
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