Heart attack: What can happen to you 12 months later

26 June 2008

There’s one thing that may very well happen to you if you suffer a heart attack, and it’s something doctors almost never warn you about.

Within a year after a heart attack, you’re twice as likely to suffer severe depression, even if you’ve never had the problem before.

This, in turn, can increase your chances of angina, a new study has discovered. One in five heart attack patients will go on to suffer angina in the 12 months afterwards. Although depression is a major cause, researchers have discovered that many heart attack patients continue to smoke, which can also cause the angina.

(Source: Archives of Internal medicine, 2008; 168: 1310-16. http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/short/168/12/1310)

Heart attack: What can happen to you 12 months later

Related WDDTY Content

Heart Attack: Patients given useless drug

Defibrillators don't benefit patients after heart attack

Heart attack: deadly drugs

Heart: ECGs are useless at predicting an attack, even when you have angina

Heart Attack: It makes your doctor proud

Hospital Deaths: 11% of elderly suffer heart attack