Screen Depressed Teens for Heart Disease
Aug-13-2015

Depression and bipolar disease can put teens at a significantly higher risk of heart disease, so adolescents with mood disorders need to get extra screening, the American Heart Association said Monday.

Having depression or bipolar disease can mean anyone eats poorly and fails to exercise properly - both of which can raise heart disease risks. But even independently of this, depression and bipolar disease can raise the risks, a Heart Association review found.

So it's issuing new guidelines saying doctors need to keep an eye on even the youngest patients with these two mood disorders.

"These disorders indicate an increased risk of heart disease that requires increased vigilance and action at the earliest possible stage," said Dr. Benjamin Goldstein, a child-adolescent psychiatrist at Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre and the University of Toronto in Canada.

"Youth with mood disorders are not yet widely recognized as a group at increased risk for excessive and early heart disease. We hope these guidelines will spur action from patients, families and healthcare providers to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease among these youth," added Goldstein, who led the team writing the new guidelines.

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