Top

European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience

Published in:

01-10-2007 | ORIGINAL PAPER

Is depression a risk factor for heart complaints?

Longitudinal aspects in the Zurich study

Authors: Dominique Eich, MD, Christoph Neuhaus, MSc, Alex Gamma, PhD, Jules Angst, MD, Wulf Rössler, MD, MSc, Vladeta Ajdacic-Gross, PhD, Milos Opravil

Published in: European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience | Issue 7/2007

Abstract

Background

The objective of this longitudinal study was to assess the association between major depression and heart complaints in a population of young and healthy adults.

Methods

Starting at the age 20/21, participants of the Zurich Study underwent 6 structured, psychological interviews during a span of 20 years. We evaluated longitudinal data from 277 persons who participated in all 6 interviews including questions about heart complaints.

Results

Over 20 years, heart complaints were reported by two thirds of participants, and the frequency of depression was 11.4%. At the age of 40/41, heart complaints were significantly associated with earlier heart complaints and major depression, both more often in women. Recurrent brief depression showed a tendency, but neither minor depression nor depressive symptoms were predictive for later heart complaints.

Conclusions

This study suggests that major depression is a predictor for heart complaints at the age of 40 and that the severity of depressive disorder in younger age has an effect on subsequent heart complaints. Follow-up data will help to elucidate whether these subjective heart complaints show any correlation with a later coronary heart disease.

American Psychiatric Association (2000) Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders: DSM-IV-TR. American Psychiatric Association, Washington

Angst J, Dobler-Mikola A (1985) The Zurich study—a prospective epidemiological study of depressive, neurotic and psychosomatic syndromes. IV. Recurrent and nonrecurrent brief depression. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 234:408–416

Angst J, Dobler-Mikola A, Binder J (1984) The Zurich study—a prospective epidemiological study of depressive, neurotic and psychosomatic syndromes. I. Problem, methodology. Eur Arch Psychiatry Clin Neurosci 234:13–20

Angst J, Hochstrasser B (1994) Recurrent brief depression–the Zurich study. J Clin Psychiatry 55:3–9PubMed

Angst J, Merikangas K, Scheidegger P, Wicki W (1990) Recurrent brief depression—a new subtype of affective disorder. J Affect Disord 19:87–98CrossRefPubMed

Aromaa A, Raitasalo R, Reunanen A, Impivaara O, Heliovaara M, Knekt P, Lehtinen V, Joukamaa M, Maatela J (1994) Depression and cardiovascular diseases. Acta Psychiatr Scand Suppl 377:77–82CrossRefPubMed

Carney RM, Freedland KE, Veith RC (2005) Depression, the autonomic nervous system, and coronary heart disease. Psychosom Med 67:S29–S33CrossRefPubMed

Carney RM, Rich MW, Freedland KE, Saini J (1988) Major depressive disorder predicts cardiac events in patients with coronary artery disease. Psychosom Med 50:627–633PubMed

Derogatis LR (1977) SCL-90R. Administration, scoring and procedures manual for the R (revised) version and other instruments of the psychopathology rating scale series. Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Chicago

10.

Eich D, Ajdacic-Gross V, Condrau M, Huber H, Gamma A, Angst J, Rössler W (2003) The Zurich study: participation patterns and symptom checklist 90-R scores in six interviews, 1979–1999. Acta Psychiatr Scand 108:11–14CrossRef

11.

Ford DE, Mead LA, Chang PP, Cooper-Patrick L, Wang NY, Klag MJ (1998) Depression is a risk factor for coronary artery disease in men: the precursors study. Arch Intern Med 158:1422–1426CrossRefPubMed

12.

Forrester AW, Lipsey JR, Teitelbaum ML, DePaulo JR, Andrzejewski PL, Robinson RG (1992) Depression following myocardial infarction. Int J Psychiatry Med 22:33–46PubMedCrossRef

13.

Frasure-Smith N, Lesperance F, Talajic M (1995) Depression and 18-month prognosis after myocardial infarction. Circulation 91:999–1005PubMed

14.

Gonzalez MB, Snyderman TB, Colket JT, Arias RM, Jiang JW, O’Connor CM, Krishnan KR (1996) Depression in patients with coronary artery disease. Depression 4:57–62CrossRefPubMed

15.

Johnson J, Weissman MM, Klerman GL (1992) Service utilization and social morbidity associated with depressive symptoms in the community. JAMA 267:1478–1483CrossRefPubMed

16.

Kessler RC, McGonagle KA, Zhao S, Nelson CB, Hughes M, Eshleman S, Wittchen H-U, Kendler KS (1994) Lifetime and 12-month prevalence of DSM-III-R psychiatric disorders in the United States: results from the National Comorbidity Survey. Arch Gen Psychiatry 51:8–16PubMed

17.

Kubzansky LD, Kawachi I (2000) Going to the heart of the matter: do negative emotions cause coronary heart disease? J Psychosom Res 48:323–337CrossRefPubMed

18.

Lett HS, Blumenthal JA, Babyak MA, Sherwood A, Strauman T, Robins C, Newman MF (2004) Depression as a risk factor for coronary artery disease: evidence, mechanisms, and treatment. Psychosom Med 66:305–315CrossRefPubMed

19.

Musselman DL, Evans DL, Nemeroff CB (1998) The relationship of depression to cardiovascular disease. Arch Gen Psychiatry 55:580–592CrossRefPubMed

20.

Nicholson A, Kuper H, Hemingway H (in print) Depression as an aetiologic and prognostic factor in coronary heart disease: a meta-analysis of 6362 events among 146538 participants in 54 observational studies. Eur Heart J

21.

Ormel J, Koeter MWJ, van den Brink W, van de Willige G (1991) Recognition, management, and course of anxiety and depression in general practice. Arch Gen Psychiatry 48:700–706PubMed

22.

Penninx BW, Beekman AT, Honig A, Deeg DJ, Schoevers RA, van Eijk JT, van Tilburg W (2001) Depression and cardiac mortality: results from a community-based longitudinal study. Arch Gen Psychiatry 58:221–227CrossRefPubMed

23.

Pratt LA, Ford DE, Crum RM, Armenian HK, Gallo JJ, Eaton WW (1996) Depression, psychotropic medication, and risk of myocardial infarction. Circulation 94:3123–3129PubMed

24.

Rugulies R (2002) Depression as a predictor for coronary heart disease. A review and meta-analysis. Am J Prev Med 23:51–61CrossRefPubMed

25.

Schleifer SJ, Macari-Hinson MM, Coyle DA, Slater WR, Kahn M, Gorlin R, Zucker HD (1989) The nature and course of depression following myocardial infarction. Arch Intern Med 149:1785–1789CrossRefPubMed

26.

Stamler J, Stamler R, Neaton JD, Wentworth D, Daviglus ML, Garside D, Dyer AR, Liu K, Greenland P (1999) Low risk-factor profile and long-term cardiovascular and noncardiovascular mortality and life expectancy. Findings for 5 large cohorts of young adult and middle-aged men and women. JAMA 282:2012–2018CrossRefPubMed

27.

Wittchen H-U, Nelson CB, Lachner G (1998) Prevalence of mental disorders and psychosocial impairments in adolescents and young adults. Psychol Med 28:109–126CrossRefPubMed

28.

Wulsin LR, Singal BM (2003) Do depressive symptoms increase the risk for the onset of coronary disease? A systematic quantitative review. Psychosom Med 65:201–210CrossRefPubMed

29.

Zellweger MJ, Osterwalder RH, Langewitz W, Pfisterer ME (2004) Coronary artery disease and depression. Eur Heart J 25:3–9CrossRefPubMed

Title: Is depression a risk factor for heart complaints?
Longitudinal aspects in the Zurich study
Authors: Dominique Eich, MD
Christoph Neuhaus, MSc
Alex Gamma, PhD
Jules Angst, MD
Wulf Rössler, MD, MSc
Vladeta Ajdacic-Gross, PhD
Milos Opravil
Publication date: 01-10-2007
Publisher: Springer-Verlag
Published in: European Archives of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience / Issue 7/2007
Print ISSN: 0940-1334
Electronic ISSN: 1433-8491
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00406-007-0747-x

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Is depression a risk factor for heart complaints?

Longitudinal aspects in the Zurich study

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Keynote webinar | Spotlight on medication adherence

Springer Medicine

Abstract

Background

Methods

Results

Conclusions

Please log in to get access to this content

Other articles of this Issue 7/2007

Co-occurrence patterns of anxiety, depression and alcohol use disorders

Neuropsychological performance in partly remitted unipolar depressive patients: focus on executive functioning

Psychiatric comorbidity and functional impairment in a clinically referred sample of adults with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Efficacy of olanzapine versus quetiapine on cognitive dysfunctions in patients with an acute episode of schizophrenia

The efficacy of the combination of sertraline with buspirone for smoking cessation

Predictive eye and hand movements are differentially affected by schizophrenia