Popular antidepressants may give cardiovascular health a boost

Washington, Apr 27 (ANI): A class of antidepressants known as selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) may improve cardiovascular health by affecting the way platelets, small cells in the blood involved in clotting, clump together, say researchers.

In a study of 50 adults, the Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood researchers found that platelets were slower to clump together, or aggregate, in participants who were taking an SSRI to treat depression.

As depression is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, this finding could indicate a beneficial side effect for people who take SSRIs to treat depression, said Evangelos Litinas, MD, Research Associate in the Center's Pathology Department.

Dr. Litinas will present the team's research at the American Physiological Society's annual Experimental Biology 2010 conference being held in Anaheim, CA from April 24-28. (ANI)