title: Assessing perinatal depression as an indicator of risk for pregnancy-associated cardiovascular disease.
abstract: Cardiovascular conditions associated with pregnancy are serious complications. In general, depression is a well-known risk indicator for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Mental distress and depression are associated with physiological responses such as inflammation and oxidative stress. Both inflammation and oxidative stress have been implicated in the pathophysiology of CVDs associated with pregnancy. This article discusses whether depression could represent a risk indicator for CVDs in pregnancy, in particular in pre-eclampsia and peripartum cardiomyopathy (PPCM).
authors.affiliation: Hatter Institute for Cardiovascular Research in Africa and MRC Inter-University Cape Heart group, Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town, South Africa. Email: nchlau002@myuct.ac.za.
authors.forename: Lauren
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nicholson
authors.affiliation: Hatter Institute for Cardiovascular Research in Africa and MRC Inter-University Cape Heart group, Department of Medicine, University of Cape Town, South Africa.
authors.forename: Sandrine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lecour
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Internal Medicine III, Cardiology, Angiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital of Saarland, Homburg/Saar, Germany.
authors.forename: Sonja
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wedegärtner
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Internal Medicine III, Cardiology, Angiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital of Saarland, Homburg/Saar, Germany.
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Kindermann
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Internal Medicine III, Cardiology, Angiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital of Saarland, Homburg/Saar, Germany.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Böhm
authors.affiliation: Hatter Institute for Cardiovascular Research in Africa, and IDM, Department of Medicine, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, South Africa; Soweto Cardiovascular Research Unit, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg; Inter-Cape Heart Group, Medical Research Council South Africa, Cape Town, South Africa. Email: karen.sliwa-hahnle@uct.ac.za.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sliwa
mesh_terms: D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D002319:Cardiovascular System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D011249:Pregnancy Complications, Cardiovascular / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology*; D012307:Risk Factors