The risk of death by cardiovascular diseases due to depression may be just as great as that posed by high cholesterol levels and obesity, a study has found.
Worldwide 350 million people are affected by depression, according to the World Health Organisation.
“Our study shows that the risk of a fatal cardiovascular disease due to depression is almost as great as that due to elevated cholesterol levels or obesity,” said Karl-Heinz Ladwig, professor at Technical University of Munich (TUM) in Germany.
Depression accounted for nearly 15 per cent of the cardiovascular deaths.