title: Comorbid cardiovascular disease and major depression among ethnic and racial groups in the United States.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  To describe and examine the distribution, disability, and treatment associated with comorbid cardiovascular disease and major depressive disorder (CVD/MDD) among middle-aged and older ethnic/racial groups in the United States.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional data from a national probability sample of household resident adults (18 years and older; N = 16,423) living in the 48 coterminous United States were analyzed. We defined comorbid CVD/MDD as the presence of CVD (e.g. diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and stroke) among adults who met MDD criteria at or after age 50 years.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Two-thirds of middle-aged and older American adults meeting criteria major depression at or after age 50 years also reported a diagnosis of comorbid CVD. Blacks were most likely to meet our comorbid CVD/MDD (74.4%) criteria. The disease burden of depression was also highest among Black respondents. Differences in treatment due to race/ethnicity and comorbidity were not statistically significant.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings indicate that among middle-aged and older US adults meeting MDD criteria more than half would also report a comorbid CVD. Comorbid CVD/MDD rates varied between the considered ethnic/race groups. Functional impairment associated with comorbid CVD/MDD was higher than MDD alone; however, depression care rates did not differ remarkably. Among middle-aged and older adults meeting MDD criteria, comorbid CVD may be the rule rather than the exception.
authors.affiliation: Department of Family Medicine and Public Health Sciences, Institute of Gerontology, Wayne State University, Detroit, MI 48202, USA. hmgonzalez@med.wayne.edu
authors.forename: Hector M
authors.initials: HM
authors.lastname: González
authors.forename: Wassim
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Tarraf
mesh_terms: D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D015897:Comorbidity; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003865:Major Depressive Disorder / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000523:psychology; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008913:Minority Groups / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors; D014481:United States / Q000453:epidemiology