This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Naqvi, T. Z. Articles by Merz, C. N. B. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Naqvi, T. Z. Articles by Merz, C. N. B. Related Collections Depression

Gender Differences in the Link Between Depression and Cardiovascular Disease

From the Division of Cardiology (T.Z.N., N.B.M.), Department of Medicine and the Department of Psychiatry (S.S.A.N.), Cedars-Sinai Research Institute, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, University of California School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Tasneem Z. Naqvi, MD, Rm. 5341, Division of Cardiology, 8700 Beverly Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90048. E-mail: tasneem.naqvi{at}cshs.org

Objectives: Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of mortality in women costing more than 500,000 lives each year in the United States alone. Major depression in healthy subjects increases cardiovascular mortality in both men and women. The presence of major depression in patients with recent acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or unstable angina more than doubles the risk of cardiac death in both men and women. In the presence of depression, lack of social integration has an additive effect on cardiac events. Depression is more prevalent in women with coronary heart disease (CHD) than in men. Psychologic counseling as well as cognitive behavioral treatment in women post-AMI seems to adversely affect prognosis, whereas it has neutral effects in men. Pharmacologic treatment of depression with serotonin reuptake inhibitors is safe in men and women post-AMI and is particularly effective in patients with recurrent depression. Whether effective treatment of depression lowers cardiac mortality remains to be proven.

Key Words: depression • coronary artery disease • gender differences • mortality

Abbreviations: CHD = coronary heart disease; AMI = acute myocardial infarction; SSRIs = serotonin reuptake inhibitors; CABG = coronary artery bypass surgery.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				J. Zhao, A. A. Quyyumi, R. Patel, A. M. Zafari, E. Veledar, S. Onufrak, L. H. Shallenberger, L. Jones, and V. Vaccarino Sex-Specific Association of Depression and a Haplotype in Leukotriene A4 Hydrolase Gene Psychosom Med, September 1, 2009; 71(7): 691 - 696. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				S. E. Linke, T. Rutledge, B. D. Johnson, V. Vaccarino, V. Bittner, C. E. Cornell, W. Eteiba, D. S. Sheps, D. S. Krantz, S. Parashar, et al. Depressive Symptom Dimensions and Cardiovascular Prognosis Among Women With Suspected Myocardial Ischemia: A Report From the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute-Sponsored Women's Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation Arch Gen Psychiatry, May 1, 2009; 66(5): 499 - 507. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. A. DeVon, C. J. Ryan, A. L. Ochs, and M. Shapiro Symptoms Across the Continuum of Acute Coronary Syndromes: Differences Between Women and Men Am. J. Crit. Care., January 1, 2008; 17(1): 14 - 24. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				V. Vaccarino, C. McClure, B. D. Johnson, D. S. Sheps, V. Bittner, T. Rutledge, L. J. Shaw, G. Sopko, M. B. Olson, D. S. Krantz, et al. Depression, the Metabolic Syndrome and Cardiovascular Risk Psychosom Med, January 1, 2008; 70(1): 40 - 48. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				V. Vaccarino, B. D. Johnson, D. S. Sheps, S. E. Reis, S. F. Kelsey, V. Bittner, T. Rutledge, L. J. Shaw, G. Sopko, and C. N. Bairey Merz Depression, Inflammation, and Incident Cardiovascular Disease in Women With Suspected Coronary Ischemia: The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Sponsored WISE Study J. Am. Coll. Cardiol., November 20, 2007; 50(21): 2044 - 2050. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. Faller, S. Stork, M. Schowalter, T. Steinbuchel, V. Wollner, G. Ertl, and C. E. Angermann Depression and survival in chronic heart failure: Does gender play a role? Eur J Heart Fail, October 1, 2007; 9(10): 1018 - 1023. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				T. Rutledge, S. E. Reis, M. B. Olson, J. Owens, S. F. Kelsey, C. J. Pepine, S. Mankad, W. J. Rogers, C. N. B. Merz, G. Sopko, et al. Depression Symptom Severity and Reported Treatment History in the Prediction of Cardiac Risk in Women With Suspected Myocardial Ischemia: The NHLBI-Sponsored WISE Study. Arch Gen Psychiatry, August 1, 2006; 63(8): 874 - 880. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				D. S. Sheps and A. Rozanski From Feeling Blue to Clinical Depression: Exploring the Pathogenicity of Depressive Symptoms and Their Management in Cardiac Practice Psychosom Med, May 1, 2005; 67(Supplement_1): S2 - S5. [Full Text] [PDF]