Summary: A new study analyzing genetic data from over 300,000 people revealed that women with a high genetic risk for depression also face a higher likelihood of developing heart disease, even without a depression diagnosis. This link was not observed in men, highlighting significant gender differences. Researchers emphasized the importance of addressing cardiovascular health in women, particularly those with depression, regardless of menopausal status.
The findings underscore the need for more inclusive cardiovascular research and regular heart health checks for at-risk women. Despite heart disease being the leading cause of death among women globally, they remain underrepresented in related studies and treatments. This research provides new insights into gender-specific health risks and calls for proactive measures.
Key Facts:
- Women with a genetic predisposition to depression are at higher risk for heart disease.
- This link exists even in women without a depression diagnosis or psychiatric treatment.
- Gender differences in cardiovascular risk were not explained by traditional factors like BMI or smoking.
Source: University of Queensland
Women who have a high genetic risk of depression are more likely to develop heart disease, University of Queensland researchers have found.
During a study that analysed genetic and health data from more than 300,000 people, Dr Sonia Shah and Dr Clara Jiang from UQ’s Institute for Molecular Bioscience found women who had a high genetic risk of developing depression also had a high risk of developing heart disease, even in the absence of a depression diagnosis.
Dr Shah said these results exposed a difference in the risk for women compared to men.
“In our study, the link between the genetic risk of depression and developing a cardiovascular disease was seen even among women who had never been diagnosed with depression or taken any psychiatric medications,” Dr Shah said.
“However, this link was not observed in men, despite an overall greater proportion of men developing heart disease.
“The variation between men and women could also not be explained by differences in traditional risk factors such as BMI, smoking, high blood pressure or high cholesterol.
“Our research highlights the need to understand this relationship separately in men and women.”
Dr Jiang said that despite heart disease being the leading cause of death for women globally, they have historically been underrepresented in cardiovascular research and clinical trials.
“This has led to a bias towards men in our knowledge and approach to cardiovascular health, and as a result, women are going under-diagnosed and under-treated,” Dr Jiang said.
Dr Shah said while the risk of heart disease increases for women after menopause, this study highlighted that women who have depression should be assessed for heart disease risk regardless of their menopausal stage.
“Our research found that the higher risk of developing coronary artery disease, where blood vessels narrow because of the build-up of plaque, was present regardless of whether the women were pre-menopausal or post-menopausal at recruitment,” Dr Shah said.
“Frequent heart health checks are especially important for women who have a history of depression.”
During the study, researchers developed genetic predictors of psychiatric disorders using data from large-scale genetic studies including the psychiatric genomics consortium, genetic health and biopharmaceutical company 23andMe, and UK BioBank, a large-scale biomedical database and research resource containing anonymised genetic, lifestyle and health information from half a million consenting UK participants.
Funding: Dr Shah was funded by the Heart Foundation.
About this genetics and depression research news
Author: IMB Communications
Source: University of Queensland
Contact: IMB Communications – University of Queensland
Image: The image is credited to Neuroscience News
Original Research: Open access.
“Sex-Specific Association Between Genetic Risk of Psychiatric Disorders and Cardiovascular Diseases” by Sonia Shah et al. Circulation Genomic and Precision Medicine
Abstract
Sex-Specific Association Between Genetic Risk of Psychiatric Disorders and Cardiovascular Diseases
BACKGROUND:
Though epidemiological studies show increased cardiovascular disease (CVD) risks among individuals with psychiatric disorders, findings on sex differences in comorbidity have been inconsistent.
METHODS:
This genetic epidemiology study examined the sex-specific association between the genetic risk of 3 psychiatric disorders (major depression [MD], schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder), estimated using polygenic scores (PGSs), and risks of 3 CVDs (atrial fibrillation [AF], coronary artery disease [CAD], and heart failure [HF]) in 345 169 European-ancestry individuals (UK Biobank), with analyses replicated in an independent BioVU cohort (n=49 057). Mediation analysis was conducted to determine whether traditional CVD risk factors could explain any observed sex difference.
RESULTS:
In the UK Biobank, a 1-SD increase in PGSMD was significantly associated with the incident risks of all 3 CVDs in females after multiple testing corrections (hazard ratio [HR]AF-female=1.04 [95% CI, 1.02–1.06]; P=1.5×10−4; HRCAD-female=1.07 [95% CI, 1.04–1.11]; P=2.6×10−6; and HRHF-female=1.09 [95% CI, 1.06–1.13]; P=9.7×10−10), but not in males. These female-specific associations remained even in the absence of any psychiatric disorder diagnosis or psychiatric medication use.
Although mediation analysis demonstrated that the association between PGSMD and CVDs in females was partly mediated by baseline body mass index, hypercholesterolemia, hypertension, and smoking, these risk factors did not explain the higher risk compared with males.
The association between PGSMD and CAD was consistent between females who were premenopausal and postmenopausal at baseline, while the association with AF and HF was only observed in the baseline postmenopausal cohort. No significant association with CVD risks was observed for the PGS of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. The female-specific positive association of PGSMD with CAD risk was replicated in BioVU.
CONCLUSIONS:
Genetic predisposition to MD confers a greater risk of CVDs in females versus males, even in the absence of any depression diagnosis. This study warrants further investigation into whether genetic predisposition to depression could be useful for improving cardiovascular risk prediction, especially in women.
