Scientists discover the missing link between Cardiovascular Disease and Depression

Heart disease is a common disease now a days which leads to death worldwide. On other hand Depression is the leading cause of disability worldwide.

A significant body of research has established a connection between these two conditions.

For example, reviews of existing studies have shown that people with cardiovascular disease are more likely to have depression, and people with depression have a higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease. Also, those with depression and heart disease are more likely to die from the latter than those who only have heart disease. This relationship is proportional to each other which means that the more severe the depression, the more likely it is that a person will develop heart disease or die from it.

The study revealed that three bio-markers for the risk of heart disease that were also depression risk factors: triglycerides and the inflammation-related proteins IL-6 and CRP.

The scientists explain that our bodies produce the inflammation proteins IL-6 and CRP in response to physiological factors such as infections and lifestyle factors such as smoking, drinking, and physical inactivity, as well as in response to psychological stress.

In the study, first researchers were interested to study whether the family history of coronary heart disease increases the risk for depression. Later on they wanted to study regarding the gene involvement in this case. They found no connection between the genetic predisposition to develop heart disease and the risk of depression. This concluded that the genetic predisposition is not related with the link between depression and heart disease.

To find out whether the environmental factors are making the difference for the development of both the disease conditions, they used statistical tools Mendelian Randomization to examine the 15 biological markers. This study revealed the association of 3 bio-markers which increases the risk for heart disease were also the depression factors i.e. triglycerides, IL-6 (inflammation related protein) and CRP.

Heart disease and depression share common underlying biological mechanisms, which manifest as two different conditions in two different organs — the cardiovascular system and the brain."