Lockdown measures have obvious psychological impacts, which could, in turn, increase cardiovascular risk. We assessed the association between lockdown-related factors and the worsening of cardiovascular risk, incident anxiety and depression… Click to show full abstract
Lockdown measures have obvious psychological impacts, which could, in turn, increase cardiovascular risk. We assessed the association between lockdown-related factors and the worsening of cardiovascular risk, incident anxiety and depression during 12 months’ follow-up. During lockdown (April–May 2020), 534 subjects, aged 50–89 years, were included in the PSYCOV-CV study (NCT04397835) and followed for up to 12 months post-lockdown. We found that participants with symptoms of depression during lockdown were more likely to report increased cardiovascular drug treatment (Odds-Ratio (OR) = 5.08 (1.78–14.5), p = 0.002), decreased physical activity (OR = 1.76 (1.10–2.82), p = 0.019) and weight gain (OR = 1.85 (1.08–3.17), p = 0.024) after lockdown. Moreover, changes in sleep patterns (OR = 2.35 (1.13–4.88), p = 0.022) or living in a rural area during lockdown (OR = 1.70 (0.96–3.03, p = 0.069) were associated with higher incident depression, whereas a better relationship with one’s partner during lockdown was associated with less incident depression (OR = 0.56 (0.29–1.08), p = 0.084). Finally, we found that continuing to work during lockdown in a role requiring in-person contact with the public (such as cashiers, nurses or physicians) was associated with more incident anxiety after lockdown (OR = 3.38 (1.12–10.2), p = 0.031). Interestingly, decreased consumption of alcohol during lockdown was associated with less incident anxiety (OR = 0.30 (0.10–0.90), p = 0.032). Our study, conducted in a representative sample of an age group at increased risk of both cardiovascular disease and severe COVID-19, increases the understanding of modifiable factors associated with the health impacts of lockdown measures.
               
Click one of the above tabs to view related content.