Key result
Depression increases the standardized mortality ratio for cardiac disease by a factor of at least 1.5 to 2.0 and is strongly associated with increased all-cause mortality across age groups.
Why the study?
Does depression increase all-cause and cardiac mortality in adults?
Does depression increase all-cause and cardiac mortality in adults?
Excess mortality arising from depression is a major, largely unrecognized public health problem that increases both cardiac and all-cause mortality.
Supports depression screening in cardiac patients; extends observational links but leaves treatment effects on mortality open.
Summary Depression is an illness that kills. The links between depression and medical illness are well established and bi-directional, but evidence is mounting that depression increases mortality as well as morbidity in adults, particularly older adults. We examine the evidence that the increase in mortality in depression applies to all-cause mortality as well as cardiac mortality, and describe plausible physiological theories for the association. We conclude that excess mortality arising from depression is a major public health problem that is largely unrecognised and needs to be addressed by a range of clinicians.
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Seymour et al. (2009) conducted a review in Depression. Depression (exposure) vs. No depression was evaluated on All-cause and cardiac mortality. Depression increases the standardized mortality ratio for cardiac disease by a factor of at least 1.5 to 2.0 and is strongly associated with increased all-cause mortality across age groups.
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