Women experiencing depression symptoms also face greater odds of developing numerous chronic diseases, Australian researchers have found. Among the most likely to occur: diabetes, heart disease, stroke and cancer.
The study followed women with no previous diagnosis of depression or chronic illness over two decades. Investigators found 43.2% of women experienced elevated symptoms of depression and just under half the cohort reported they were diagnosed or taking treatment for depression. Women from the depressed group were almost two times more likely to have multiple chronic health conditions before they first experienced depressive symptoms.
“Experiencing depressive symptoms appeared to amplify the risk of chronic illness,” said Xiaolin Xu, Ph.D. a lead researcher from the University of Queensland.
