German doctors claim that depression is the cause of every fifth heart attack.
Depression is as dangerous for the heart as obesity and high blood pressure, new research shows.
Data from a German study found that depression causes 15 percent of heart problems, obesity 21 percent, and high blood pressure 8,4 percent.
Experts emphasize that this information is of vital importance, because depression affects 350 million people worldwide, according to data from the World Health Organization.
The author of the German study, Professor Karl-Heinz Ludwig, from the Technical University of Munich, points out that depression is a risk factor for diseases of the cardiovascular system.
During ten years of research, 3.500 male patients aged 45 to 74 were monitored.
During the study, more than 500 people died - half from heart disease. Of that number, depression was the cause of 15 percent of deaths, according to scientific portals, the World of Beauty reports.
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