Psychological distress increases risk of death from stroke

Psychological distress was associated with a higher risk of death from stroke, according to a new study by researchers in UCL Epidemiology & Public Health, published in the Canadian Medical Association Journal . Psychological distress includes factors such as anxiety, depression, sleeping problems, and loss of confidence, and is common in approximately 15-20% of the general population. While there is evidence linking psychological distress to coronary artery disease, there is a dearth of data linking psychological distress with the risk of death from stroke and other cerebrovascular diseases. Researchers from UCL sought to understand this link and looked at data from a large study of 68,652 men and women who participated in the Health Survey for England. The mean age of participants was 54.9 years of age, 45% were male and 96.1% were white. To measure psychological distress, they used the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12), a widely used measure in population studies. Psychological distress was evident in 14.7% of participants and those reporting distress were younger, more likely to be female, to be from lower income groups, to smoke and use hypertension medications.