Psychiatry - November 2008 - (Page 45)

The Interface treatment among individuals with comorbid depression and CVD. Clearly, additional studies are warranted in this intriguing area of the mind/body interface. INTRODUCTION Like a clinical urban legend, there have been proposed relationships between mood disorders and cardiovascular disease (CVD) for years—primarily that depression is a risk factor for the development of CVD and may result in poorer treatment outcomes in those with existing CVD. However, these relationships have not been explicitly and empirically explored until the last decade or so.1 We hope to succinctly summarize the more recent empirical data in this article. PRE-EXISTING DEPRESSION AS A RISK FACTOR FOR SUBSEQUENT CVD A number of researchers hav examined whether pre-existing mood disorders increase the risk for subsequent cardiac disease. Recent studies support this impression. For example, among African-American women, Collins-McNeil et al2 confirmed statistical associations between depression scores and cardiovascular risk scores. In a group of caregivers of dementia patients, Mausbach et al3 determined that higher levels of depressive symptoms correlated with shorter time periods to CVD diagnosis. In an Australian study of 755 women, participants with angina were about four times more likely than controls to report past histories of depression.4 In a controlled study, Janszky et al5 found that participants with a first myocardial infarction had a greater likelihood of being previously hospitalized for depression. In a 12year, prospective, follow-up study of nearly 1200 elderly Finnish individuals, depression scores at the [NOVEMBER] Depression and Cardiovascular Disease: Just an Urban Legend? by Randy A. Sansone, MD, and Lori A. Sansone, MD Psychiatry (Edgemont) 2008;5(11):45–48 This ongoing column is dedicated to the challenging clinical interface between psychiatry and primary care—two fields that are inexorably linked. ABSTRACT For years, there has been speculation among clinicians about possible relationships between (a) depression and the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and (b) comorbid depression and adverse CVD outcomes. In a review of the recent literature, we noted that there are data to support both of these clinical urban legends. In addition, while data are preliminary, several studies indicate modest medical benefits with antidepressant Psychiatry 2008 45

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Psychiatry - November 2008 Editor's Message Editorial Advisory Board Contents PsychRx Letters to the Editor Measuring Adverse Events in Psychiatry Nonsuicidal Self Injury in Adolescents Relative Tolerability of Alzheimer's Disease Treatments Biracial Identity Development and Recommendations in Therapy Depression and Cardiovascular Disease: Just an Urban Legend? Three Risk Management Basics Journal Watch Classified Advertising Information for Authors

Psychiatry - November 2008

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