The relationship between somatic symptoms of depression and cardiac outcomes in coronary heart disease patients may be confounded by methodological differences, symptom severity, and medical illness.
Are somatic symptoms of depression better predictors of cardiac events than cognitive symptoms in patients with coronary heart disease?
This review highlights the methodological challenges and confounding factors in determining whether somatic symptoms of depression are independent predictors of cardiac events in CHD patients.
Several recent studies have found that somatic symptoms of depression predict cardiac events in patients with established coronary heart disease but cognitive symptoms of depression do not. However, other studies have not supported this finding, and the research in this area is complicated by methodological differences and inconsistencies in the classification of "cognitive" and "somatic" symptoms. In addition, somatic symptoms are more common than cognitive symptoms in cardiac patients and are often associated with more severe depression. These factors may confound the relationship between somatic symptoms and cardiac outcomes. Some reasons why somatic symptoms may be more common than cognitive symptoms in cardiac patients are considered, as well as whether somatic symptoms are likely to be symptoms of depression or of medical illness. Finally, some directions for future research are proposed.
Carney et al. (Sun,) conducted a review in Coronary Heart Disease and Depression. Somatic vs cognitive symptoms of depression was evaluated on Cardiac events. The relationship between somatic symptoms of depression and cardiac outcomes in coronary heart disease patients may be confounded by methodological differences, symptom severity, and medical illness.
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