title: Quality of Life in Carotid Atherosclerosis: The Role of Co-morbid Mood Disorders.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To study in severe carotid atherosclerosis (CA): the frequency of mood disorders (MD); the impairment of quality of life (QoL); the role of co-morbid MD in such impairment.
  
  
  METHODS
  Case-control study.
  
  
  METHODS
  consecutive in-patients with CA (stenosis ≥ 50%).
  
  
  METHODS
  subjects with no diagnosis of CA randomized from a database of a community survey. Psychiatric diagnosis according to DSM-IV made by clinicians and semi-structured interview, QoL measured by the Short Form Health Survey (SF-12).
  
  
  RESULTS
  This is the first study on comorbidity on CA disease and MD in which psychiatric diagnoses are conducted by clinicians according to DSM-IV diagnostic criteria. Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) (17.4% vs 2.72%, P <0.0001) but not Bipolar Disorders (BD) (4.3% vs 0.5%, P = 0.99) was higher in cases (N=46) than in controls (N= 184). SF-12 scores in cases were lower than in controls (30.56±8.12 vs 36.81±6:40; p <0.001) with QoL comparable to serious chronic diseases of the central nervous system. The burden of a concomitant MDD or BD amplifies QoL impairment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Comorbid MD aggravates the impairment of QoL in CA. Unlike autoimmune diseases or degenerative diseases of the Central Nervous System, CA shows a strong risk of MDD than BD.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Clinical and Molecular Medicine and Center for Liaison Psychiatry and Psychoso-mathics, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria (A.O.U.), di Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Lecca
authors.affiliation: Department of Radiology, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria (A.O.U.), di Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Luca
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Saba
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Sciences, Università di Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Sanfilippo
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Clinical and Molecular Medicine and Center for Liaison Psychiatry and Psychoso-mathics, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria (A.O.U.), di Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Elisa
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Pintus
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Clinical and Molecular Medicine and Center for Liaison Psychiatry and Psychoso-mathics, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria (A.O.U.), di Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Michela
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cadoni
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Clinical and Molecular Medicine and Center for Liaison Psychiatry and Psychoso-mathics, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria (A.O.U.), di Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Federica
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sancassiani
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health and Clinical and Molecular Medicine and Center for Liaison Psychiatry and Psychoso-mathics, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria (A.O.U.), di Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Francesca Moro
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Sciences, Università di Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Davide
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Craboledda
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Sciences, Università di Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Chiara
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lo Giudice
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgical Sciences, Università di Cagliari, Italy.
authors.forename: Roberto
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Montisci
keywords: Bipolar disorder; carotid atherosclerosis; major depressive disorder; mood disorders; quality of life