Depression a Warning for Heart Disease in Older Men

Researchers have known for years that depression is a risk factor for heart disease, but now we have a more specific warning sign. For men over seventy with no previous history of depression, a case of the blues may warrant a check-up by a cardiologist.

According to lead investigator Dr. Brenda W.J.H. Penninx, of the National Institute on Aging, Bethesda, Maryland, newly depressed older men were approximately twice as likely to develop cardiovascular disease over the next five years, compared with men who were never depressed. The researchers found no such relationship for women. This may be because women's bodies react differently to stress, or because women and men "psychologically define events differently," Penninx and her colleagues write in the American Journal of Cardiology.