Depression as a risk factor for cardiovascular diseasesystematic review and meta-analysis

Objective: The aims of this study were to update and extend the evidence and to estimate the extent to which depression in adult life is a risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease. Methods: A meta-analysis of longitudinal cohort and case-control studies reporting depression at baseline and cardiovascular outcomes (including stroke) at follow-up was conducted. Studies using both self-reported information and medical records were included. Other inclusion criteria were: participants free of cardiovascular disease at baseline (or controlled for in analysis), community-dwelling or general practice samples; and exposure of at least 12 months. The search was done in PubMed. Results: Participants with depression were estimated to be 38% more likely to develop non-fatal cardiovascular disease (pooled estimate 1.38, 95% confidence interval: 1.16, 1.64), and 35% more likely to experience a fatal cardiovascular event (pooled estimate 1.35, 95% confidence interval: 1.17, 1.56) over an average 13 years of follow-up. Conclusions: This study has contributed to the body of research identifying depression as a risk factor for developing cardiovascular disease, which has important implications for clinicians managing patients with depressive illnesses. Key words: cardiovascular diseases, depression, review