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Depression and CHD double whammy

Research from the Whitehall II study of British civil servants finds that depression not only increases the risk of coronary heart disease (CHD) – confirming previous research – but that co-morbid depression and CHD may create a greater risk for all-cause and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality than these conditions acting alone. Compared with individuals without depression or CHD, those with only CHD had a raised risk of all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, HR) of 1.67; those with only depressive symptoms had an HR of 2.10; and those with co-morbidity an HR of 4.99. CVD mortality risk was 3.9-fold higher for participants with co-morbidity. Although there was a positive interactive effect between CHD and depressive symptoms, this was not statistically significant.

Heart 2010; online first: doi:10.1136/hrt.2010.198507.

Tags depression evidence based practice heart disease

Occupational Health at Work December/January 2010/2011 (vol. 07/4) pp44