Depression and cardiovascular disease

Abstract

Purpose of review The purpose of this review is to outline the relationship between cardiovascular disease (CVD) and depression, both as a cause of and a result of CVD. Recent findings The prevalence of depression seems to be increasing in the general population. It is likely that depression will be even more of a problem for CVD patients in the post-COVID-19 pandemic era. New studies confirm the independent association of depression with later incident CVD, although perhaps not as strong as suggested by some previous studies. Depression seems to be becoming even more prevalent in CVD patients, with new data for stroke and peripheral arterial disease patients. Cardiologists rarely screen for depression and most do not believe that they have a responsibility for detecting or treating depression. There are new data suggesting that patients who are more in control of their lives have better outcomes and that change is possible. Summary Depression is preventable and treatable. It is imperative to detect and manage depression in CVD patients. Additional research is required to see whether or not comprehensive patient screening for depression translates into both better quality of life and improved clinical outcomes.

Screening for Psychological Distress and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease and Related Mortality

“…Psychological health is an important dimension of cardiovascular health and well-being 5,6. Significant evidence from epidemiology, psychology, psychiatry, cardiology, and public health shows that psychological distress (ie, elevated symptoms of depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), or perceived psychosocial stress) is associated with earlier CVD onset, more rapid CVD progression, poorer prognosis, and an increased risk of related death 7–14. INTERHEART, a global, case-control study of first myocardial infarction, was one of the largest investigations to demonstrate the importance of psychological health: the population attributable risk of psychological stress and depression was 33%, which exceeded the risk associated with some traditional factors for CVD (eg, hypertension and physical inactivity) 15.…”

The Relationship between the Frequency and Duration of Physical Activity and Depression in Older Adults with Multiple Chronic Diseases

“…Supportive studies are reporting the effectiveness of PA on depression in patients with breast cancer [ 28 ] and patients with diabetes [ 29 ]. In addition, a review by Hare [ 30 ] stated that exercise was effective for depression with or without medications. Given these consistent results, it is speculated that PA can be a non-pharmacological therapeutic tool to reduce the risk of depression in older adults with multiple chronic diseases.…”

A replication study separates polymorphisms behind migraine with and without depression

“…A prothrombotic tendency has been suggested in migraine pathogenesis by the connection between migraine and cardio-and cerebrovascular ischemic events, although related studies show conflicting data [66][67][68] and the literature of anticoagulants' efficacy in migraine patients also shows mixed results [66]. Depression has been connected to cardiovascular diseases too [69,70] and the 'vascular depression' hypothesis also links cerebrovascular disease to geriatric depressive syndromes [71,72]. In addition, HPSE2 associated with the depression-related trait, neuroticism [73].…”