Depressive symptoms and 24-hour urinary norepinephrine excretion levels in patients with coronary disease: findings from the Heart and Soul Study.
OBJECTIVE
Depressive symptoms are associated with an increased risk of cardiac events in patients with heart disease. Elevated catecholamine levels may contribute to this association, but whether depressive symptoms are associated with catecholamine levels in patients with heart disease is unknown.


METHODS
The authors examined the association between depressive symptoms (defined by a Patient Health Questionnaire score > or =10) and 24-hour urinary norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine excretion levels in 598 subjects with coronary disease.


RESULTS
A total of 106 participants (18%) had depressive symptoms. Participants with depressive symptoms had greater mean norepinephrine excretion levels than those without depressive symptoms (65 microg/day versus 59 mug/day, with adjustment for age, sex, body mass index, smoking, urinary creatinine levels, comorbid illnesses, medication use, and cardiac function). In logistic regression analyses, participants with depressive symptoms were more likely than those without depressive symptoms to have norepinephrine excretion levels in the highest quartile and above the normal range. Depressive symptoms were not associated with dopamine or epinephrine excretion levels.


CONCLUSIONS
In patients with coronary disease, depressive symptoms are associated with elevated norepinephrine excretion levels. Future longitudinal studies are needed to determine whether elevations in norepinephrine contribute to adverse cardiac outcomes in patients with depressive symptoms.
Otte
Christian
C
Department of Psychiatry, University of California, San Francisco, CA 94121, USA.
Neylan
Thomas C
TC
Pipkin
Sharon S
SS
Browner
Warren S
WS
Whooley
Mary A
MA
D000368:Aged; D002940:Circadian Rhythm; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015897:Comorbidity; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology / Q000652:urine*; D003866:Depressive Disorder / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000652:urine; D004298:Dopamine / Q000652:urine; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000652:urine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000652:urine*; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
D004298:Dopamine; D009638:Norepinephrine; D004837:Epinephrine