PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Perinatal depression linked to increased risk of death

Perinatal depression linked to increased risk of death
2024-01-11
(Press-News.org) Women who suffer depression during or after pregnancy have a higher risk of death by both natural and unnatural causes, a new study of childbirth in Sweden published in The BMJ reports. The increased risk peaks in the month after diagnosis but remains elevated for as long as 18 years afterwards.

Women who develop perinatal depression, which is to say depression during pregnancy or shortly after childbirth, are generally twice as likely to die of natural or, as in most cases, unnatural causes. They are six times more likely to commit than women without this form of depression. The increase in risk peaks in the 30 days following diagnosis but remains elevated for up to 18 years later.
These are the results of a large cohort study that used data from the Swedish Medical Birth Register, which effectively contains all births in Sweden since 1973.

Basing their study on women who had live births between 2001 and 2018, the researchers compared over 86,500 women diagnosed with perinatal depression, during pregnancy or up to one year after childbirth, with over 865,500 matched controls of the same age who had given birth the same year.

“This is a cohort study, and although it can’t prove any causality, it’s the largest and most comprehensive study in its field,” says Qing Shen, affiliated researcher at the Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet and one of the principal authors of the study. “I believe that our study clearly shows that these women have an elevated mortality risk and that this is an extremely important issue.”

The risk was highest for the women diagnosed with postpartum depression (depression after childbirth), corroborating the findings of previous smaller studies. Women diagnosed with antepartum depression (depression during pregnancy) have not been studied as much, so the knowledge base there is smaller. Dr Shen and her colleagues can now show that women with antepartum depression also have an elevated mortality risk, albeit not as high.

On comparing the mortality risk among women with perinatal depression who had had psychiatric problems even before pregnancy with women who had not had such issues, the researchers found that it was the same for both groups.

“Our recommendation is therefore not to discontinue effective psychiatric treatment during pregnancy,” says Dr Shen.

The women who were diagnosed with perinatal depression tended to have been born in the Nordic region and have a shorter education history and lower incomes than women without such a diagnosis.

“One hypothesis is that these women seek help differently or were offered screening service postpartum not to the same extent, which means that their depression develops and is worse once it has been detected,” says last author Donghao Lu, assistant professor at the Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet. “Our view is that these women are particularly vulnerable and should be the focus of future interventions.”

However, rather than introducing new measures, Dr Lu, argues that it is a matter of making better use of those already in place.

“Sweden already has many excellent tools, such as a postpartum questionnaire to screen the symptoms of postpartum depression,” says Donghao Lu. “We need to stress how important it is for all pregnant women are offered screening, both postpartum and antepartum, and provided necessary, evidence-based care and support.”

The study was financed by several bodies, including the Swedish Research Council for Health, Working Life and Welfare (Forte), the Swedish Research Council, Karolinska Institutet’s Strategic Research Area in Epidemiology and Biostatistics (SFOepi) and the Icelandic Research Fund.

Publication: “Perinatal depression and risk of mortality: nationwide, register based study in Sweden” Naela Hagatulah, Emma Bränn, Anna Sara Oberg, Unnur A Valdimarsdóttir, Qing Shen, Donghao Lu. BMJ online January 10, 2024, doi: 10.1136/bmj-2023-075462.

Facts:
Perinatal depression is fairly common and affects 10 – 20 percent of all pregnant women. Since depression extends over a rather sensitive time in life, it can have serious consequences. Previous studies have shown a link between postpartum depression and an increased risk of suicide, but otherwise, there were considerable gaps in our knowledge about the risks before this study.
Six to eight weeks after childbirth, all women in Sweden are asked to complete a form called the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS), which is used to detect signs of depression.
Perinatal depression is primarily treated with cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and other forms of talking therapy, possibly in combination with medication.
Source: Qing Shen

END

[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Perinatal depression linked to increased risk of death Perinatal depression linked to increased risk of death 2

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Landmark national study supports use of whole genome sequencing in standard cancer care

2024-01-11
Study shows that combining whole genome sequence and clinical data together at scale supports the delivery of precision cancer care, where cancer diagnosis and treatment is tailored to the individual patient Results support increased use of genomic testing in cancer care via the NHS Genomic Medicine Service The research shows the value of data from the ground-breaking 100,000 Genomes Project to improve understanding of cancer and help researchers to develop new treatments. In the largest study of its kind, scientists today report how combining health data with whole genome sequence (WGS) data in patients with cancer can help doctors provide more tailored care for ...

Is there a common link between the physical and social worlds? Two brothers think so.

Is there a common link between the physical and social worlds? Two brothers think so.
2024-01-11
A Rutgers biophysical chemist and his brother, a political scientist on the West Coast, have joined intellectual forces, realizing a long-standing dream of co-authoring an article that bridges their disciplines involving cells and society. In their paper, they have proposed that powerful parallels exist between the microscopic, natural world of cells and molecules and the human-forged realm of organizations and political systems. Taking it a step further, the brothers – eminent scholars who have served as top leaders of their respective institutions – have proposed that humankind can draw lessons from what the microscopic and macroscopic worlds have in common. Ideally, ...

Artificial intelligence helps unlock advances in wireless communications

Artificial intelligence helps unlock advances in wireless communications
2024-01-11
A new wave of communication technology is quickly approaching and researchers at UBC Okanagan are investigating ways to configure next-generation mobile networks. Dr. Anas Chaaban works in the UBCO Communication Theory Lab where researchers are busy analyzing a theoretical wireless communication architecture that will be optimized to handle increasing data loads while sending and receiving data faster. Next-generation mobile networks are expected to outperform 5G on many fronts such as reliability, coverage and intelligence, explains Dr. Chaaban, an Assistant Professor ...

Personalizing lifestyle interventions for cancer survivors

Personalizing lifestyle interventions for cancer survivors
2024-01-11
MIAMI, FLORIDA (Jan. 10, 2024) – Researchers with Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine have received funding to better understand how personalized nutrition and exercise programs can improve quality of life after cancer treatment. The three-year, approximately $700,000 grant from the Applebaum Foundation with added support by Sylvester, will fund the On Precision Oncology Interventions in Nutrition and Training (OnPOINT) clinical study to develop individualized diet and activity programs ...

Louisiana Cancer Research Center accepting applications for summer undergraduate research program - SUCRE

2024-01-10
January 10, 2024, New Orleans, LA - College students interested in pursuing a career in cancer research are urged to apply to The Louisiana Cancer Research Center’s 8-week Summer Undergraduate Cancer Research Experience, SUCRE. Selected students can explore and develop their interests by working in a research lab with an assigned faculty mentor from member institutions Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center - New Orleans, Tulane School of Medicine and Xavier University of Louisiana.   The program runs from Thursday, June 3 through Friday, July 26, 2024. ...

NASA’s Webb discovers dusty ‘cat’s tail’ in Beta Pictoris System

NASA’s Webb discovers dusty ‘cat’s tail’ in Beta Pictoris System
2024-01-10
Beta Pictoris, a young planetary system located just 63 light-years away, continues to intrigue scientists even after decades of in-depth study. It possesses the first dust disk imaged around another star — a disk of debris produced by collisions between asteroids, comets, and planetesimals. Observations from NASA’s Hubble Space Telescope revealed a second debris disk in this system, inclined with respect to the outer disk, which was seen first. Now, a team of astronomers using NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope to image the Beta Pictoris system (Beta Pic) has discovered a new, previously unseen structure. The ...

Texas A&M AgriLife Research gets $5.2 million grant for onion improvement

2024-01-10
Texas A&M AgriLife Research received more than $5.2 million in grant funding from the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s National Institute of Food and Agriculture for a project to address multiple aspects of the southern U.S. onion harvest system.   Subas Malla, Ph.D., Texas A&M AgriLife Research associate professor at the Texas A&M AgriLife Research and Extension Center in Uvalde, will serve as director for a short-day onion project. (Texas A&M AgriLife photo by Paul Schattenberg) The director for the “Ensuring Future Economic Viability of U.S. Short-Day ...

Preeclampsia and preterm birth risk may be reduced by calcium dose lower than current WHO standard

2024-01-10
Key points: According to two trials of 11,000 pregnant women in India and in Tanzania, low-dose calcium supplementation (500 milligrams per day) appears as effective at reducing the risk of preeclampsia and preterm birth as high-dose calcium supplementation (1,500 milligrams per day). The World Health Organization currently recommends high-dose calcium supplementation—equivalent to three calcium pills a day—for pregnant women in contexts with low-calcium diets, predominantly low- and middle-income countries. Lowering the pill burden to one 500mg ...

MSU-led study: Majority of US hospitals found COVID-19 reporting directives to be inconsistent

2024-01-10
EAST LANSING, Mich. – The U.S. health care response during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic unveiled challenges in public health reporting systems and electronic clinical data exchange. A new study led by John (Xuefeng) Jiang, Eli Broad Endowed Professor of Accounting in MSU’s Broad College of Business, examines U.S. hospitals’ experiences in public health reporting, accessing clinical data from external providers for COVID-19 patient care, and their success in reporting vaccine-related ...

Janelia shares ‘greatest hits’ of tools to study the fly brain

Janelia shares ‘greatest hits’ of tools to study the fly brain
2024-01-10
The holidays may be over, but neuroscientists are getting a special gift to kick off the new year: access to a greatest hits collection from one of Janelia’s longest running and successful Project Teams. Janelia’s FlyLight Project Team, which has worked for more than a decade to create tools to study the fly brain, is making a core collection of their best genetically engineered fly strains available to researchers worldwide through the Bloomington Drosophila Stock Center. The brain images of these flies, along with hundreds of thousands of images from thousands of additional fly lines, are also now freely accessible through Janelia websites. These ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

New register opens to crown Champion Trees across the U.S.

A unified approach to health data exchange

New superconductor with hallmark of unconventional superconductivity discovered

Global HIV study finds that cardiovascular risk models underestimate for key populations

New study offers insights into how populations conform or go against the crowd

Development of a high-performance AI device utilizing ion-controlled spin wave interference in magnetic materials

WashU researchers map individual brain dynamics

Technology for oxidizing atmospheric methane won’t help the climate

US Department of Energy announces Early Career Research Program for FY 2025

PECASE winners: 3 UVA engineering professors receive presidential early career awards

‘Turn on the lights’: DAVD display helps navy divers navigate undersea conditions

MSU researcher’s breakthrough model sheds light on solar storms and space weather

Nebraska psychology professor recognized with Presidential Early Career Award

New data shows how ‘rage giving’ boosted immigrant-serving nonprofits during the first Trump Administration

Unique characteristics of a rare liver cancer identified as clinical trial of new treatment begins

From lab to field: CABBI pipeline delivers oil-rich sorghum

Stem cell therapy jumpstarts brain recovery after stroke

Polymer editing can upcycle waste into higher-performance plastics

Research on past hurricanes aims to reduce future risk

UT Health San Antonio, UTSA researchers receive prestigious 2025 Hill Prizes for medicine and technology

Panorama of our nearest galactic neighbor unveils hundreds of millions of stars

A chain reaction: HIV vaccines can lead to antibodies against antibodies

Bacteria in polymers form cables that grow into living gels

Rotavirus protein NSP4 manipulates gastrointestinal disease severity

‘Ding-dong:’ A study finds specific neurons with an immune doorbell

A major advance in biology combines DNA and RNA and could revolutionize cancer treatments

Neutrophil elastase as a predictor of delivery in pregnant women with preterm labor

NIH to lead implementation of National Plan to End Parkinson’s Act

Growth of private equity and hospital consolidation in primary care and price implications

Online advertising of compounded glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonists

[Press-News.org] Perinatal depression linked to increased risk of death