Women are more likely than men to suffer depression and anxiety following a heart attack, according to new research presented at Acute Cardiovascular Care 2014.

Professor Pranas Serpytis from Lithuania presented the findings of the study, which involved an investigation of the impact of gender and heart disease risk factors associated with developing depression and anxiety following a myocardial infarction (MI).

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 720,000 adults suffer a heart attack each year in the U.S. A heart attack happens when the flow of oxygen-rich blood to a part of the heart muscle suddenly becomes blocked, preventing oxygen from getting to that part of the heart. This results in the death of that part of the heart muscle.

The study included 160 patients who had suffered a myocardial infarction, and were admitted to the Vilnius University Hospital Santariskiu Clinics in Vilnius, Lithuania. The patients were interviewed one month afterwards to identify information such as demographics, clinical characteristics, cardiovascular disease risk factors, and a history of mental health disorders.

The researchers discovered that almost one quarter of the patients were depressed, and among those, 28.2 percent had been treated with antidepressants. Women were more likely to develop anxiety and depression following a heart attack than men.

“Patients with depression are nearly 6 times more likely to die within 6 months after an MI than those without depression. The increased risk of death in patients with depression persists up to 18 months after the MI. But despite the fact that post-MI depression is common and burdensome, the condition remains under-recognised and undertreated,” said Serpytis in a statement.