Antidepressants Reduce Stroke Death Rate

A study has shown that treating patients who have had a stroke with antidepressants increases their chances of living longer, regardless of whether or not they were depressed. The results were reported in the October 2003 issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry.

The study involved 104 patients who were randomly assigned to receive an antidepressant or a placebo for three months after their stroke. Investigators obtained mortality data nine years later. Their analysis showed that nearly 68% of the patients who received all 12 weeks of antidepressant treatment were alive after nine years, compared to about 36% who received 12 weeks of placebo treatment. Analysis of cause of death showed that patients who received antidepressants (30%) were less likely to die from cardiovascular problems than patients who did not receive them (55%).

According to co-investigator Ricardo Jorge, M.D., assistant professor of psychiatry at the University of Iowa (Iowa City, USA), scientific literature indicates that depression can cause changes in blood pressure and heart rate, making depressed patients prone to serious heart attacks. "Antidepressants may modify the way a person reacts to stress and, thus, reduce the frequency of these complications.”




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