Teens With Mood Disorders at Risk for Heart Disease

A statement released by the American Heart Association calls for early monitoring of blood vessel and heart disease (cardiovascular disease) in teens with major depression and bipolar disorder. It is recommended that mood disorders be considered as an independent risk factor that could lead to early development of heart conditions such as thickening blood vessels in adolescents.

The Link Between Mood Disorders and Heart Disease

Major depression and bipolar disorder belong to a broad category of mood disorders that could affect adults and adolescents alike. They are the first and the fourth leading cause of disability worldwide, respectively. Bipolar disorder often manifests as mood alterations between bouts of elation, energy, irritability and spurts of depressive behavior including sadness and lack of involvement. Depression symptoms are similar to the depressive episodes of bipolar disorder, minus the periods of elation. About 10% of adolescents in the United States suffer from mood disorders, which is ten times the prevalence of all the moderate risk factors of heart disease combined.

The authors of the statement found, upon a thorough analysis of published literature, that teens with mood disorders are more likely than other teens to have many risk factors associated with cardiovascular disease: high blood pressure, high cholesterol, obesity, type II diabetes, and the hardening of arteries. Though the exact cause for these associations remains unclear, studies suggest that biological processes controlling inflammation and oxidative stress could link the two. Additionally, depressed teens are more likely to have unhealthy habits such as alcohol and drug abuse, smoking and physical inactivity. Medications used to treat depression have side effects that might hasten heart disease, but neither lifestyle factors nor medications could independently account for the link between mood and heart disease.

The association between depression and heart disease in adults is well known. Adults with mood disorders are far more likely to suffer from cardiovascular disease than adults with normal mental status. Both mood disorders and heart disease tend to run in families. In line with that, children of depressed parents could have good mental health and still show markers of early heart disease. Teens with mood disorders usually have a parental history of heart disease. Add to this the fact that most mood disorders that develop early are known to persist or even worsen in adulthood, and you realize the importance of early detection and management of warning signs in adolescents.