May 1, 2004Psychosomatic Medicine
Depression as a Risk Factor for Coronary Artery Disease: Evidence, Mechanisms, and Treatment
Why the study?
Does depression increase the risk of coronary artery disease onset and progression, and does treating it improve outcomes?
Population
Healthy individuals and patients with existing coronary artery disease (CAD)
Design
Review
Authors
Discussion
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Member takes
Implication
Supports depression screening in CAD risk assessment; leaves open whether treatment modifies cardiac outcomes.
Structured PICO
Does depression increase the risk of coronary artery disease onset and progression, and does treating it improve outcomes?
P
Population
Healthy individuals and patients with existing coronary artery disease (CAD)
I
Intervention
Depression (as a risk factor) and depression treatments
O
Outcome
Onset of CAD, cardiac morbidity, and mortalityhard clinical
Depression is a significant risk factor for both the onset and progression of coronary artery disease, though evidence for the cardiovascular benefit of treating depression remains lacking.
Limitations
- Paucity of data to support the efficacy of depression interventions to improve clinical outcomes for depressed CAD patients
Cite This Study
Lett et al. (2004) studied this question.