Patients who have suffered from severe depression for more than six years have an 88 percent chance of contracting some form of cancer, medical experts said at a conference yesterday.

Constantinos Stefanis, the president of a scientific research group at the Academy of Athens, said that long-term depression sufferers also have double the chance of having heart problems.

“Women are more vulnerable, as they suffer from the disease 1.5 times more often than men,” Stefanis said at a conference held in Kalambaka, central Greece.

Experts believe that in 2020, depression will be the among the main factors in the Western world causing health problems, added Stefanis.

About 10 percent of the population is believed to suffer from depression.