A recent article by Huffington Post suggests that people who have depression for a long time may be at increased risk for stroke.

“Researchers found that adults ages 50 and older who had symptoms of depression that lasted more than two years were twice as likely to have a stroke in the following two years, compared with men and women of similar age with no signs of depression. People that underwent treatment for depression still had a 66 percent higher risk of stroke than adults without depression.” Huffington Post, May 2015

Researchers had assumed that once a person’s symptoms of depression lessened, the risk of stroke would also go down. Instead, researchers found that the risk of stroke stayed high for at least two years after a person said his/her depression symptoms had diminished.

Why is this? It could be behavioural. People with depression could be getting less physical activity, might smoke more cigarettes, or consume more alcohol. There could be physical conditions. High blood pressure, diabetes, inflammation, or high cholesterol. It could be genetic. It  could also be that the body simply needs time to get back to normal levels after years of stress hormones wrecking havoc.

What can you take from this study? Just because you feel better or believe you are less depressed doesn’t mean you should take your body for granted or that it will get back to how it was before you were depressed. Your body been through a lot. Make sure you get yearly checkups. If you feel there’s something wrong with you, visit a doctor immediately. Don’t put it off. While stroke can be unpredictable, it is also preventable in some cases.