Depression in people with coronary heart disease: prognostic significance and mechanisms.
Depression affects about 40 % of people with coronary heart disease (CHD). This group with depression and CHD have increased mortality and morbidity, worse health-related quality of life, use health services more frequently and consequently cost the health service and the national economy considerably more than their non-depressed counterparts. A number of characteristics of depression and plausible mechanisms have been proposed to explain this observed association, which could lead to improved understanding of the association and lead to new interventions to improve cardiac outcomes. This review summarises the evidence linking depression with worse cardiac outcomes, considers specific aspects of depression which may predict worse outcomes and reviews the mechanisms that could potentially explain the direct or indirect association of depression with coronary outcomes.
University of Exeter Medical School, College House, St Luke's Campus, Heavitree Road, Exeter, EX1 2LU, UK, c.m.dickens@exeter.ac.uk.
Chris
C
Dickens
D000928:Antidepressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D017281:Cost of Illness; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005081:Exercise Therapy; D006801:Humans; D011379:Prognosis; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors
D000928:Antidepressive Agents