People with heart failure have an significantly increased risk of dying if they are depressed, the results of a new study show.

They are also more likely to require hospitalisation.

Heart failure refers to a heart that cannot meet the body's need for blood because it is not pumping properly. The main consequences of this are accumulation of fluid in the lungs or other tissues, as the blood becomes congested and cannot be pumped around the body fast enough. This accumulation of fluid may cause difficulty in breathing or swelling of the legs.

US scientists set out to investigate the effect depression can have on people with heart failure. They followed the progress of over 400 heart failure patients, with an average age of 73. One in four of the participants was found to have mild depression, while around one in seven had moderate to severe depression.

The study found that those who were moderately or severely depressed had four times the risk of dying compared to those who did not have depression.

They also had double the risk of having to attend an emergency department or having to be hospitalised.

Even those with mild depression had an increased risk of dying, although their risk of being hospitalised was much smaller.

The scientists noted that just one in three of the depressed patients were taking antidepressants. However, they said this may be because the patients were undergoing therapy that did not include these kinds of drugs.

The team from the Mayo Clinic in Minnesota concluded that depression ‘is a key driver of healthcare use in heart failure'.

"Treatment programs should be tailored to each patient's needs with greater emphasis on managing depression either through medication or lifestyle interventions."

Details of these findings are published in the journal, Circulation: Heart Failure.

For more information on depression, see our Depression Clinic here