Depression, fatigue not tied to cancer risk

	Tweet

Findings from a large study provide no support for the notion that symptoms of Depression and fatigue, as measured by the so-called “vital exhaustion” questionnaire, increase the risk of cancer.

“Depressive mood and Depression are among the psychological factors most widely implicated in cancer,” the investigators point out in the medical journal Cancer. The thinking is based on “the hypothesis that Depression lowers immune function, thus increasing vulnerability to cancer.”

The influence on health of vital exhaustion—feelings of excessive tiredness and lack of energy, increased irritability, and a feeling of demoralization—was first recognized in Heart disease patients, when it was seen that Heart Attacks were often preceded by feelings of decreased energy, general malaise and minor depression.

Dr. Corinna Bergelt from the Danish Cancer Society’s Institute of Cancer Epidemiology in Copenhagen and colleagues investigated vital exhaustion as a risk factor for cancer in 8527 participants in the Copenhagen City Heart Study.

During an average of 8-1/2 years of followup, 976 subjects (12 percent) were diagnosed cancer.

Responses to the vital exhaustion questionnaire suggest that while the condition is associated with an unhealthy lifestyle—cigarette smoking and low levels of exercise—it is not in itself associated with an increased incidence of cancer, the investigators report.

In fact, compared with subjects with the lowest levels of vital exhaustion, those with the highest levels had a significantly lower risk of developing cancer at all sites.

SOURCE: Cancer, online August 8, 2005.

RELATED STORIES:
Middle-age is truly depressing, study finds   Brain chemical may play key role in anxiety   Can You Live Without The Internet?   Acupuncture alone won’t ease depression for most   Mild depression may raise heart failure death risk   Depressed? Fish oil might help   Controversial Electroconvulsive Therapy Helps Severe Depression   Anxious Depression and Response to Treatment   Expressing anger in the moment is not healthy   Wine may protect against dementia   Antidepressants may cut risks after heart attack   Reducing suicidal behaviors among adolescents   Summer Jobs May Help Prevent Suicidal Tendencies in At-Risk Teens   The Sorry State of Psychotherapy   Many facing home foreclosure may have depression

Comments

[ + Post Your Own ]

Now you're in the public comment zone. What follows is not Armenian Medical Network's stuff; it comes from other people and we don't vouch for it. A reminder: By using this Web site you agree to accept our Terms of Service. Click here to read the Rules of Engagement.

There are no comments for this entry yet. [ + Comment here + ]