Further exploring the link between mental health and heart health, new European research reports that, despite generally surviving longer than men, women are more likely to suffer from anxiety and depression after a cardiac arrest.
Published in the journal Circulation: Cardiovascular Quality and Outcomes, a study by the Amsterdam University Medical Center analysed data from 1,250 survivors of an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the Netherlands – 259 women and 996 men – with an average age of 53, over a five-year period.
The results revealed that women are more prone to anxiety and depression than men who survive a cardiac arrest.
“We looked at many factors to determine the five-year consequences of a cardiac arrest. Here we saw, most significantly, a 50% rise in antidepressant prescriptions in the first year among women that was not mirrored in men.
“This then tapered off to around a 20% increase in prescriptions after five years,” said researcher Robin Smits.
The study also analysed five years of socioeconomic data for the participants. “We saw significant decreases in employment rates and, consequently, earnings. Further, we also saw a change in ‘primary earner status’ – meaning the member of a household who had the highest earnings frequently changed after a cardiac arrest.
“This suggests it was difficult for individuals to return to the labour market,” Smits noted – a factor that could lead to stress and inactivity, which in turn could lead to depression.
Previous research has already shown a higher survival rate among women than men after a cardiac arrest. Despite this, “the consequences of cardiac arrest differ depending on your sex”, the researcher explained.
“While women may be more likely to survive and live longer, they are also more likely to be affected by mental health issues after a cardiac arrest,” Smits added.
The link between heart health and mental health has already been the subject of previous research. In 2014, the American Heart Association reported that one in five people hospitalised for a heart attack or chest pain develop major depression, around four times the rate in the general population.