How Disasters Impact the Health of Individuals With Depression

New studies conducted at Rice University show that individuals who suffer from depressive symptoms may experience a sudden increase of inflammation, a major risk factor for heart disease following a stressor such as a disaster. The study that followed 124 people found that individuals who displayed some depressive symptoms and had concern for their physical health had a significant increase in immune markers for inflammation following a disaster while those who did not experience depressive symptoms or show concern for their physical health had no change in immune markers.