Nearly 1 in 5 people with heart disease use mental health medication

Sophia Antipolis, 11 January 2022: According to a study published today in the European Journal of Cardiovascular Nursing sponsored by the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) Antidepressants and other psychotropic drugs are linked to nearly double the risk of premature death in people with heart disease, study

"Our study shows that psychotropic drug use is common among patients with heart disease

"It's important to remember that taking psychotropic drugs is a sign of a mental disorder, which itself may increase the risk of death," said Dr.

Previous research has found an association between anxiety symptoms in people with heart disease and poor health outcomes, including death

The study included 12,913 patients hospitalized for ischemic heart disease, arrhythmia, heart failure or valve disease from the DenHeart National Survey

Information on drugs is obtained through national registries

The researchers found that 2,335 participants (18%) had purchased at least one prescription for psychotropic medication in the 6 months prior to admission

Nearly one-third of people with heart disease (32%) were classified as having an anxiety disorder

A total of 362 patients (3%) died within one year of discharge

The association became weaker when the analysis was also adjusted to prehospital psychotropic medication use and the presence of anxiety

She continued: "Cardiac patients with anxiety disorders should inform health care professionals of their course of treatment as they would for other comorbid conditions