The role of mood disorders in exercise-induced cardiovascular reactivity.
OBJECTIVE
Increased cardiovascular (CV) reactivity has been associated with worse CV prognosis. Though mood disorders (MDs) have been associated with increased CV reactivity during behavioral stressors, the extent to which MDs and their interaction with coronary heart disease (CHD) influences exercise-induced CV reactivity has not been evaluated.


METHODS
Five hundred twenty-six patients underwent nuclear exercise stress testing. Cardiovascular parameters were assessed at rest, every 2 minutes during exercise, and at peak exercise. MDs were measured using a structured psychiatric interview, the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders, and CHD was defined as having a history of myocardial infarction, revascularization, heart failure, and/or cerebrovascular event.


RESULTS
CHD patients exhibited lower peak exercise heart rate (F = 9.40, p = .002) compared with patients without CHD. Submaximal data showed that patients with CHD had a slower rate of increase of heart rate (F = 4.29, p = .04) and diastolic blood pressure (F = 3.27, p = .04). There was an interaction of CHD and MDs, indicating that in patients with CHD, the rate of submaximal increase in systolic blood pressure (F = 3.08, p = .047) and rate-pressure product (F = 5.13, p = .006) was greater in patients with a MD compared with those without a MD. These differences were not observed in patients with no CHD. No other main or interaction effects of MDs and CHD were observed.


CONCLUSIONS
Though MDs alone do not seem to be associated with higher levels of stress CV reactivity, their combination with CHD leads to increased submaximal exercise-induced CV reactivity. Prospective studies are needed to explore the causal relationship between these variables.
Pelletier
Roxanne
R
Montreal Behavioural Medicine Centre, Montreal Heart Institute- a University of Montreal affiliated hospital, Montréal, Québec H1T 1C8, Canada.
Lavoie
Kim L
KL
Gordon
Jennifer
J
Arsenault
André
A
Campbell
Tavis S
TS
Bacon
Simon L
SL
D015992:Body Mass Index; D002637:Chest Pain / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology; D015444:Exercise / Q000502:physiology*; D005080:Exercise Test / Q000009:adverse effects*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology*; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007406:Interview, Psychological; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D019964:Mood Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D017202:Myocardial Ischemia / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012720:Severity of Illness Index; D015899:Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon