Childhood depression ‘linked to increased heart disease risk’

Children with depression have a higher risk of suffering from heart disease at an earlier stage in their lives, according to new US research.

Conducted by the University of South Florida, the study looked at a group of Hungarian children who had participated in a 2004 assessment of the genetics of depression, comparing heart disease risk factors such as smoking, obesity, physical activity level and parental history.

The results revealed that children with depression are more likely to be obese, smoke and be inactive, resulting in many showing the effects of heart disease as early as their teen years.

It was also shown that higher rates of heart disease were observed in the parents of adolescents that had been depressed as children.

University of South Florida associate professor of psychology Jonathan Rottenberg said: "Given that the parents in this sample were relatively young, we were quite surprised to find that the parents of the affected adolescents were reporting a history of heart attacks and other serious events."

NHS data suggests that about four percent of children aged five to 16 in the UK are affected by depression. It can strike people of both genders at any age.