International Journal of Cardiovascular Sciences. 12/jan/2023;36:e20220216.

The Complex Relationship Between Emotions and the Heart: Should We Care?

Sarah Fagundes Grobe, Lídia Zytynski Moura

DOI: 10.36660/ijcs.20220216

Knowing how to live with negative emotions is not easy, and developing mechanisms to overcome them can be even more challenging. The attempt to determine the physical effects of emotions and establish their profound influence on the heart has challenged physicians for centuries. Mood disorders, such as depression and anxiety, significantly impact quality of life and increase morbidity and mortality.

At least 30% of patients diagnosed with heart failure (HF) have depressive symptoms, and these numbers have progressively increased since the 1990s. A meta-analysis found that the rates of mortality and cardiovascular events were twice as high in patients with HF and associated depression, and this was often independent of functional class.^, Some behavioral patterns contribute to these results, since patients with depression or anxiety often do not adhere to pharmacological treatment, are less active, have poor eating habits, and use tobacco.^,

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