SSRI antidepressants not associated with an increased risk cardiovascular conditions
Depression is known to increase the risk of cardiovascular problems, but whether antidepressants, particularly SSRIs, increase or reduce this risk remains controversial. The results are significant because antidepressants are one of the most commonly prescribed drugs and cardiovascular diseases are a leading cause of death and disability worldwide. The study was led by the University's Division of Primary Care and is published in The BMJ. The researchers examined associations between different antidepressant drugs and rates of three cardiovascular outcomes in people with depression. Medical records of 238,963 patients aged 20-64 with a diagnosis of depression made between 2000 and 2011 were analysed using the UK QResearch database. Patients were monitored for occurrence of heart attacks, strokes or transient ischaemic attacks, and arrhythmia (an irregular heartbeat), and followed up until 2012. The researchers looked at antidepressant class, including tricyclic and relate...