Depression and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are serious concerns for public health.Approximately 280 million people worldwide have depression, while 620 million people have CVD. It has been known since the 1990s that the two diseases are somehow related. For example, people with depression run a greater risk of CVD, while effective early treatment for depression cuts the risk of subsequently developing CVD by half. Conversely, people with CVD tend to have depression as well. For these reasons, the American Heart Association (AHA) advises to monitor teenagers with depression for CVD.
What wasnt yet known is what causes this apparent relatedness between the two diseases. Part of the answer probably lies in lifestyle factors common in patients with depression and which increase the risk of CVD, such as smoking, alcohol abuse, lack of exercise, and a poor diet. But its also possible that both diseases might be related at a deeper level, through shared developmental pathways.
Now, scientists have shown that depression and CVD do indeed share part of their developmental programs, having at least one functional gene module in common. This result, published inFrontiers in Psychiatry, provides new markers for depression and CVD, and could ultimately help to find drugs to target both diseases.
We looked at gene expression profile in the blood of people with depression and CVD and found 256 genes in a single gene module whose expression at levels higher or lower than average puts people at greater risk of both diseases, said first author Dr Binisha H Mishra, a postdoctoral researcher at Tampere University in Finland.
The authors define a gene module as a group of genes with similar expression patterns across different conditions and hence likely to be functionally related.
Mishra and colleagues studied gene expression data in the blood of899 women and men between 34 and 49 years old who were participants in the Young Finns study, one of largest studies of cardiovascular risk factors from childhood to adulthood to date. The Young Finns study began in 1980 with a cohort of almost 4,000 children and adolescents, then between three and 18 years old, randomly selected from five cities in Finland. The health of these participants has been followed ever since.
Finland has the highest estimated incidence of mental disorders in the EU, and is the ninth-highest ranking country in the world for the prevalence of depression. In contrast, the country has a relatively low prevalence of CVD, ranking in the bottom 20% worldwide for this class of diseases.
In 2011, the researchers running the Young Finns study tested the participants for symptoms of depression with a tried-and-tested questionnaire: Beck's depression inventory (BDI-II), whose score increases with more severe symptoms. They also tested them for the risk of developing CVD through AHAs ideal cardiovascular health score, on a scale from zero (highest risk) to seven (lowest risk). Mishraet al.further analyzed these data for the present study.
In 2011, whole blood had also been taken from each participant, and Mishra and colleagues here analyzed these samples with state-of-the-art gene expression methods.
They used advanced statistics to identify 22 distinct gene modules, of which just one was associated with both a high score for depressive symptoms and a low score for cardiovascular health.
The top three genes from this gene module are known to be associated with neurodegenerative diseases, bipolar disorder, and depression. Now we have shown that they are associated with poor cardiovascular health as well."
Dr Binisha H Mishra, Postdoctoral Researcher, Tampere University in Finland
These genes are involved in biological processes such as inflammation that are involved in pathogenesis of both depression and cardiovascular disease. This helps to explain why both diseases often occur together.
Other genes in the shared module have been shown to be involved in brain diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and Huntington's disease.
We can use the genes in this module as biomarkers for depression and cardiovascular disease. Ultimately, these biomarkers may facilitate the development of dual-purpose preventative strategies for both the diseases, said Mishra.
Source:
Journal reference:
Mishra, B. H.,et al.(2024) Identification of gene networks jointly associated with depressive symptoms and cardiovascular health metrics using whole blood transcriptome in the Young Finns Study. Frontiers in Psychiatry. doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1345159.
- Heart Disease - April 10th, 2018 [April 10th, 2018]
- Heart and Cardiovascular Research - April 10th, 2018 [April 10th, 2018]
- Heart and Cardiovascular Research - iMedPub - May 22nd, 2018 [May 22nd, 2018]
- Heart Disease - A Closer Look at Stem Cell Treatments - May 27th, 2018 [May 27th, 2018]
- Heart Conferences | Heart Congress | Cardiology ... - June 26th, 2018 [June 26th, 2018]
- Heart disease - Symptoms and causes - Mayo Clinic - September 21st, 2018 [September 21st, 2018]
- Diabetes, Heart Disease, and Stroke | NIDDK - September 29th, 2018 [September 29th, 2018]
- Heart Diseases & Disorders - Heart Rhythm Society - October 31st, 2018 [October 31st, 2018]
- Heart Disease - Closer Look at Stem Cells - November 15th, 2018 [November 15th, 2018]
- What is Heart Disease?, HHS, NIH, NHLBI - December 28th, 2018 [December 28th, 2018]
- Types of Heart Disease | Covenant HealthCare - December 30th, 2018 [December 30th, 2018]
- Heart Disease - Lab Tests Online - December 30th, 2018 [December 30th, 2018]
- Heart Diseases | Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center ... - December 30th, 2018 [December 30th, 2018]
- Heart Healthy Lifestyle - Prevent Heart Diseases - HeartCare - January 26th, 2019 [January 26th, 2019]
- Breast cancer most prevalent in Sabah - The Borneo Post - October 6th, 2019 [October 6th, 2019]
- Menopause and womens heart health - Udaipur Kiran - October 6th, 2019 [October 6th, 2019]
- Low Birth Weight Linked To Heart Problems In Adulthood: Study - News Nation - October 6th, 2019 [October 6th, 2019]
- Consuming Red Meat And Pork Linked To Heart Disease And Cancer - Peoria Observer - October 6th, 2019 [October 6th, 2019]
- Yes, we still need to cut down on red and processed meat - The Conversation AU - October 6th, 2019 [October 6th, 2019]
- On oral contraceptive pills? You could be at risk of heart disease! - Times Now - October 6th, 2019 [October 6th, 2019]
- Rutgers researchers find heart valve infections increasing in hospitals - RU Daily Targum - October 6th, 2019 [October 6th, 2019]
- Most common warning symptoms of heart attack - Elets - October 6th, 2019 [October 6th, 2019]
- Adults Who Lost Teeth More Prone to Heart Attack, Stroke - SciTechDaily - October 6th, 2019 [October 6th, 2019]
- Heart and Stroke Foundation: 80% of heart attacks, strokes can be prevented - Northern Natal Courier - October 6th, 2019 [October 6th, 2019]
- Heart diseases on the rise: experts - newagebd.net - October 6th, 2019 [October 6th, 2019]
- Heart attack: Best diet to protect against the life-threatening condition - Express - October 6th, 2019 [October 6th, 2019]
- Women 'suffering and dying' because of inequalities in heart disease diagnosis and treatment - Holyrood - October 6th, 2019 [October 6th, 2019]
- B'luru's air pollution contributing to heart diseases? Study finds drivers are at risk - The News Minute - October 6th, 2019 [October 6th, 2019]
- Alia Bhatt supports fundraising for kids with heart diseases: They are more positive than adults - India Today - October 6th, 2019 [October 6th, 2019]
- Reduce heart disease at the American Heart Associations Heart Walk - KXAN.com - October 6th, 2019 [October 6th, 2019]
- Losing teeth may not be a good sign, could be indicative of heart disease risk - Economic Times - October 6th, 2019 [October 6th, 2019]
- Tooth Loss Associated with Higher Risk of Heart Disease - Cath Lab Digest - October 6th, 2019 [October 6th, 2019]
- Heart failure is the silent killer you've been ignoring - Times of India - October 10th, 2019 [October 10th, 2019]
- FDA awards 12 grants to fund new clinical trials to advance the development of medical products for the treatment of rare diseases - FDA.gov - October 10th, 2019 [October 10th, 2019]
- Daikon Radish: Types, Nutrition, Benefits, and Uses - Healthline - October 10th, 2019 [October 10th, 2019]
- Air Pollution May Affect Every Organ, Cell in the Body - Voice of America - October 10th, 2019 [October 10th, 2019]
- Less than 6 hours of sleep a night linked to increased risk of early death - NHS Website - October 10th, 2019 [October 10th, 2019]
- Disabled mum left in tears after DWP wrongly stopped all her benefits - Mirror Online - October 10th, 2019 [October 10th, 2019]
- How to live longer: Best diet to boost your life expectancy - what to eat - Express - October 10th, 2019 [October 10th, 2019]
- Men Should Stop Drinking Six Months In Advance If They Plan to Be Fathers - AskMen - October 10th, 2019 [October 10th, 2019]
- Dr. Roach: Assessing the risks of secondhand cigarette smoke - The Detroit News - October 10th, 2019 [October 10th, 2019]
- What is vascular disease? - Midland Daily News - October 10th, 2019 [October 10th, 2019]
- Fauna Bio Receives Grant From the National Institutes of Health to Advance Its Drug Repurposing Platform - BioSpace - October 10th, 2019 [October 10th, 2019]
- Bacon rashers, statistics, and controversy - The BMJ - The BMJ - October 10th, 2019 [October 10th, 2019]
- Why should you have semolina (suji) for weight loss - Times of India - October 10th, 2019 [October 10th, 2019]
- 4 blind spots in the confusing debate about red meat - Inverse - October 10th, 2019 [October 10th, 2019]
- Inflammation Signs That Are Often Overlooked - msnNOW - October 10th, 2019 [October 10th, 2019]
- MKRMS seminar: Experts stress regular exercise, healthy food for heart health - The News International - October 10th, 2019 [October 10th, 2019]
- Exercise, healthy food for heart health stressed - The News International - October 10th, 2019 [October 10th, 2019]
- AstraZeneca HealthCare Foundation Awards $775000 to 11 Innovative Heart Health Programs & Announces Open Call for Applications - Business Wire - October 10th, 2019 [October 10th, 2019]
- How to live longer: The superfood proven to boost brain and heart health - Express - October 10th, 2019 [October 10th, 2019]
- People with mental disorder at high risk of heart diseases - Yahoo India News - October 10th, 2019 [October 10th, 2019]
- Do Women Need To Worry About Heart Disease? - Version Weekly - October 10th, 2019 [October 10th, 2019]
- Stroke rates continue decline in the U.S. - Reuters - October 10th, 2019 [October 10th, 2019]
- 6 Foods That Can Help Protect You Against Life-Threatening Ailments - International Business Times - October 10th, 2019 [October 10th, 2019]
- Prevention of Heart Disease - The Sentinel Assam - October 10th, 2019 [October 10th, 2019]
- Tooth loss linked to higher risk of heart disease - The New Indian Express - October 10th, 2019 [October 10th, 2019]
- Performing HIIT Exercises Can Help Minimize The Risk Of Contracting A Heart Disease - International Business Times - October 10th, 2019 [October 10th, 2019]
- Heart disease: Best exercise to lower the risk of developing the deadly condition - Express - October 10th, 2019 [October 10th, 2019]
- Shropshire people left more than 343000 in wills to British Heart Foundation - shropshirestar.com - October 11th, 2019 [October 11th, 2019]
- Queen's Speech puts air pollution, science and the NHS on the agenda - British Heart Foundation - October 15th, 2019 [October 15th, 2019]
- In a rural Wisconsin village, the doctor makes house calls and sees some of the rarest diseases on Earth - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - October 15th, 2019 [October 15th, 2019]
- Treatment And Management Of Heart Disease During Pregnancy - Version Weekly - October 15th, 2019 [October 15th, 2019]
- Severe dental diseases persist in S.D. due to chronic poverty and lack of access to dentists - KELO AM-FM - October 15th, 2019 [October 15th, 2019]
- New York Ranks 25th In Nation In First-Ever Childhood Obesity Study - WAER - October 15th, 2019 [October 15th, 2019]
- Saddleridge Fire Leads to Poor Air Quality, Tips on Staying Healthy - NBC Southern California - October 15th, 2019 [October 15th, 2019]
- This country just became the first to ban ads for sugary drinks - WGAL Lancaster - October 15th, 2019 [October 15th, 2019]
- Heart disease: Three dietary tips to keep the risks at bay - Express - October 15th, 2019 [October 15th, 2019]
- Eating habits that can reverse heart disease - Daily Monitor - October 15th, 2019 [October 15th, 2019]
- Hale and hearty: Tips to maintain good heart health - The New Indian Express - October 15th, 2019 [October 15th, 2019]
- Exercise Is Especially Important For Those With Heart Disease - Anti Aging News - October 15th, 2019 [October 15th, 2019]
- Exercise good for people with heart disease, other physical ailments - Al Bawaba - October 15th, 2019 [October 15th, 2019]
- Should you eat red meat or not? A dietitian explains the latest nutrition science on meat, eggs and butter - NBC News - October 15th, 2019 [October 15th, 2019]
- Rheumatic heart disease in Northern Territory 'a bloody health emergency' - The Guardian - October 15th, 2019 [October 15th, 2019]
- PPMD Grants to Promote Gene Therapy for Heart Disease and Patient Outcomes Research - Muscular Dystrophy News - October 15th, 2019 [October 15th, 2019]
- University of Guelph researchers track how cats' weights change over time - Jill Lopez - October 20th, 2019 [October 20th, 2019]
- Study Shows That a 50% Pay Raise Lowers the Risk of Cardiovascular Diseases by 15% - WORLD OF BUZZ - October 20th, 2019 [October 20th, 2019]
- Dog owners less likely to have cardiovascular diseases, and better chances of recovering from strokes or heart - MEAWW - October 20th, 2019 [October 20th, 2019]
- Keep your heart pumping - The New Indian Express - October 20th, 2019 [October 20th, 2019]
- How Can We Curb the Spread of Scientific Racism? - Scientific American - October 20th, 2019 [October 20th, 2019]