Key result
Major depressive disorder is linked to higher estimated cardiovascular risk, driven by metabolic factors.
Why the study?
Cardiovascular disease and risk are increased in depression and anxiety, but the roles of metabolic and inflammatory processes in this risk are unclear.
Is major depressive disorder or anxiety associated with an increased estimated cardiovascular risk (QRISK3 score), and what role do metabolic and inflammatory markers play?
Cross-Sectional (n=229)
Is major depressive disorder or anxiety associated with an increased estimated cardiovascular risk (QRISK3 score), and what role do metabolic and inflammatory markers play?
Patients with depression have a higher estimated cardiovascular risk (QRISK3) compared to those with anxiety or controls, a finding largely explained by metabolic factors rather than inflammation.
Supports metabolic evaluation in MDD; hypothesis-generating for whether targeting the triglyceride/glucose index reduces events.
Background Depression and anxiety are among the most commonly encountered disorders in psychiatric practice. Previous studies have shown that both cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular risk are increased in these disorders. This study aimed to investigate the potential relationship between depression, anxiety, and cardiovascular risk by utilizing the QRISK3 cardiovascular risk algorithm. It also aimed to explore the potential explanatory roles of metabolic and inflammatory processes on cardiovascular risk.Methods After obtaining ethical approval, patients who met the inclusion criteria (n = 229) were divided into three groups: patients with depression (n = 78), patients with anxiety (n = 91), and a control group (n = 60) with no significant psychiatric disorder according to the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-5. The laboratory parameters of the patients were evaluated, and their cardiovascular risks were determined according to the QRISK3 score.Results When the data were compared between the patient groups in pairs and trios, it was observed that the relative risk of QRISK3 was higher in the patient group with depression than in the other two groups. Exploratory mediation analyses suggested that metabolic markers, rather than inflammatory markers, were associated with higher estimated cardiovascular risk in the depression group.Conclusion The increased cardiovascular risk in depressed patients appears to be largely explained by metabolic factors such as the triglyceride/glucose index. Therefore, cardiovascular risk assessment is essential in patients with depression, a highly prevalent condition in psychiatric practice, and biochemical markers may be useful in this context.
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Hoca et al. (2026) conducted a cross-sectional in Major depressive disorder and anxiety (n=229). Depression and anxiety vs. No significant psychiatric disorder (control) was evaluated on Relative risk of QRISK3 cardiovascular risk score. Major depressive disorder was associated with a higher estimated cardiovascular risk (via QRISK3) compared to anxiety and controls, which appeared to be explained by metabolic factors.
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