title: Reversal of increased arterial stiffness in severely depressed women after 6-week antidepressant treatment.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Increased arterial stiffness (AS) might be one significant acute mediator of the well-attested association between female depression and cardiovascular disease.
  
  
  METHODS
  We tested this hypothesis in an inpatient sample of 20 drug-free women undergoing a new clinically severe major depressive episode of recent onset with an adequately matched mentally healthy control group. Patients' clinical (Hamilton Depression Rating Scale) and vascular (Pulse-Wave-Velocity, PWV) assessments were performed both before the initiation and after the completion of their six-week antidepressant treatment.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Although initially patients exhibited significantly higher PWV values than controls, this was decreased and reached comparable levels to controls after treatment completion. Moreover, full-responders exhibited significantly greater vascular improvement than their partial-responders counterparts and the magnitude of their amelioration was strongly associated with the magnitude of their clinical improvement.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our sample-size was small and patients' follow-up short.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings provide support to the hypothesis that current severe major depressive episode in women leads acutely to aggravation of arterial stiffness, reversible however upon timely and effective antidepressant treatment.
authors.affiliation: Athens University Medical School, 1st Department of Psychiatry, Eginition Hospital, 11528 Athens, Greece. oulisp@med.uoa.gr
authors.forename: Panagiotis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Oulis
authors.forename: Anastasios
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Kouzoupis
authors.forename: Katerina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kyrkou
authors.forename: Vasilios G
authors.initials: VG
authors.lastname: Masdrakis
authors.forename: George
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Georgiopoulos
authors.forename: Evangelos
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Karapoulios
authors.forename: Stellios
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Georgiou
authors.forename: Nikolaos A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Karakatsanis
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lykka
authors.forename: George N
authors.initials: GN
authors.lastname: Papadimitriou
authors.forename: Christos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Papamichael
authors.forename: Kimon
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Stamatelopoulos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000517:prevention & control; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014655:Vascular Resistance / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000928:Antidepressive Agents