http://smartabouthealth.net/diseases/2011/08/15/depression-increases-stroke-risk-in-women/

New research conduced out of Harvard University and published in the official journal of the American Heart Association suggests that depressed women have an elevated risk of suffering a stroke. Even worse, women who are being treated for depression with antidepressant medication are at an even higher risk of having a stroke.

The study, which analyzed more than 80,000 older women, concluded that depressed women are nearly 30 percent more likely to suffer a stoke. For women taking medication to treat that depression, the increased risk of a stroke is nearly 40 percent.

Although these sound like large increases, the researchers who conducted the study noted that the risks from depression far outweighed the risks from treating it, especially since depression has been linked to a whole host of medical problems.

In addition, the researches emphasized the point that medications used to treat depression may not be causally related to the increased stroke risk. Indeed, more research will need to be conducted in order to get more information about the relationships between these factors.

According to recent figures, more than 400,000 women a year have a stroke. Risk factors for suffering a stroke include poor eating habits and lack of physical activity.