title: Relationship between cardiopulmonary fitness and depressive symptoms in cardiac rehabilitation patients with coronary artery disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To identify independent predictors of depressive symptoms in a cohort of patients with coronary artery disease entering cardiac rehabilitation.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional cohort study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Consecutive patients entering a cardiac rehabilitation and secondary prevention programme underwent screening for depressive symptoms using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) scale and cardiopulmonary fitness testing to quantify peak oxygen consumption.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of the 366 patients with coronary artery disease, 22.3% reported at least mild (CES-D > or = 16) and 10.4% reported significant (CES-D > or = 23) depressive symptoms. Antidepressant medications were being used by 6.3% of patients. Sociodemographic, cardiopulmonary and cardiac characteristics, and medical co-morbidities previously associated with depression accounted for 14.7% of the variance in a multiple linear regression model (F = 8.713, p < 0.001) predicting CES-D scores. Significant independent predictors of CES-D scores were lower peak oxygen consumption, younger age, female sex, lower maximum diastolic blood pressure, angina pectoris and antidepressant use.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Reduced physical fitness, younger age, female sex and ischaemic symptoms of coronary artery disease predict higher depressive symptoms in patients entering cardiac rehabilitation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada.
authors.forename: Walter
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Swardfager
authors.forename: Nathan
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Herrmann
authors.forename: Yekta
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dowlati
authors.forename: Paul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Oh
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kiss
authors.forename: Krista L
authors.initials: KL
authors.lastname: Lanctôt
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000209:etiology; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D010809:Physical Fitness; D011379:Prognosis