Overview

• An Emory-led narrative/meta-review in The Lancet Regional Health – Europe synthesizes recent registries and meta-analyses on mental health and cardiovascular disease.
• Estimated relative risk increases include depression at about 72%, schizophrenia near 95%, anxiety near 41%, with bipolar disorder and PTSD each around 60%.
• The review reports life expectancy is typically reduced by 10 to 20 years for people with these disorders, largely due to cardiovascular disease.
• More than 40% of people living with cardiovascular disease also have a mental health condition, underscoring a bidirectional connection between the two.
• Proposed pathways involve dysregulated autonomic and HPA stress systems that drive inflammation and metabolic changes, while patients face poorer cardiac care, frequent exclusion from trials, and limited evidence that integrated programs reduce heart attacks or deaths.