Linking head and heart health: the association between psychiatric outcomes for patients with major depressive disorder and myocardial ischemia – a systematic review

INTRODUCTION: The development of depression after myocardial infarction is associated with a 2- to 2.5-fold increased risk of all-cause mortality, cardiovascular mortality, and cardiovascular events. The objective of this study was to investigate, through a broad search of the literature, whether major depression is associated with worse psychiatric outcomes in middle-aged patients with myocardial ischemia. METHODS: An extensive search for studies on the association between major depression and myocardial ischemia was conducted in the PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, and Web of Science databases. Randomized clinical trials of middle-aged patients with myocardial ischemia and concomitant depressive symptoms were included. RESULTS: The 14 articles included in this systematic review did not confirm an association between myocardial ischemia and depression with worse psychiatric outcomes in middle-aged patients. However, worse cardiovascular outcomes have been observed in patients with depression after myocardial infarction. CONCLUSIONS: The findings of this study suggest that major depression increases cardiovascular risk in patients after acute myocardial infarction, possibly because of a more pronounced increase in inflammatory markers. REGISTRATION: This systematic review was registered in the International Prospective Registry of Systematic Reviews (PROSPERO) under the number CRD: 511650.