Monday, March 16, 2009

Antidepressants Linked to Sudden Cardiac Death in Women

A new study has concluded that women with no history of cardiac problems but who use antidepressants are at an increased risk for sudden cardiac death (SCD). HealthDay ,News reports that the reason for the link remains unknown, according to the researchers whose findings were published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.

“We suspect that their use is a marker for people with worse depression,” explained the study’s lead author Dr. William Whang, an assistant professor of clinical medicine at Columbia University Medical Center in Manhattan. “The elevated risk seems more specific for antidepressant use, but that use may well be a marker of more severe symptoms,” quoted HealthDay News. Whang noted that the link seemed to be physiological saying, “We found that women who had worse depressive symptoms had higher rates of risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, and smoking.” As a matter-of-fact, the report indicated, said HealthDay News, women with clinical depression were at a two-fold risk of experiencing SCD.

READ MORE @ NEWS INFERNO