Depression and Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Elderly Men and Women

Abstract

Depressive symptoms may not be independent risk factors for CHD outcomes in elderly populations in general but may increase risk among relatively healthy older women.

Psychological Distress and Mortality: Are Women More Vulnerable?

“…Indeed, many studies, including those completed on community samples, reveal that distress, depression, and affective disorders raise mortality risk. This has been reported in several studies in the United States (Bruce and Leaf 1989;Mendes de Leon et al 1998) as well as in other countries (in France, for example; see Fuhrer et al 1999). At the same time, many well-executed studies find no link between psychological distress or depressive symptoms and mortality (EversonRose, House, and Mero 2004;Fred-man et al 1989;Rasul et al 2004;Singer et al 1976; Thomas et al 1992).…”

“…In that study, however, the authors found limited evidence that psychological distress was associated with either all-cause or cause-specific mortality. By contrast, Mendes de Leon et al (1998) examined coronary heart disease only and found that psychological distress substantially raised mortality risk for women. There may be distinct etiologic pathways between psychological distress and specific diseases, such as heart disease (Ketterer et al 2004) and cancer (Honda, Goodwin, and Neugut 2005).…”

“…Studies have reported elevated mortality risk due to psychological distress among older adults only (Mendes de Leon et al 1998) and among adults of all ages (Somervell et al 1989). However, other studies of differing age groups report no relationship between psychological distress and mortality (Roberts et al 1990; Thomas et al 1992).…”

“…First, we use a 20-year follow-up of a national sample of adults to examine multiple causes of death. We consider the possibility that psychological distress may be related to selected causes of mortality, especially heart disease (Mendes de Leon et al 1998;Stansfeld et al 2002), cancer (Shekelle et al 1981), and stroke, the three most common causes of death among adults in the United States (Anderson and Smith 2003).…”

“…For community-based samples, the relationship between psychological distress and mortality is more difficult to summarize. This is because some studies show that mortality risk is heightened for distress or depressive symptoms (Mendes de Leon et al 1998; Somervell et al 1989), while other studies are unable to find an independent effect on mortality (Fredman et al 1989;Thomas et al 1992). …”