Commonality Between Depression and Heart Failure

• Published in: The American journal of cardiology Vol. 109; no. 5; pp. 768 - 772
• Main Authors: Nair, Nandini, MD, PhD, Farmer, Christopher, MD, Gongora, Enrique, MD, Dehmer, Gregory J., MD
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: New York, NY Elsevier Inc 01-03-2012; Elsevier; Elsevier Limited
• Subjects: Adult and adolescent clinical studies; Biological and medical sciences; Cardiology. Vascular system; Cardiovascular; Depression; Depression - epidemiology; Depression - etiology; Global Health; Heart; Heart failure; Heart Failure - complications; Heart Failure - epidemiology; Heart failure, cardiogenic pulmonary edema, cardiac enlargement; Humans; Incidence; Medical sciences; Mental depression; Miscellaneous; Mood disorders; Mortality; Psychology. Psychoanalysis. Psychiatry; Psychopathology. Psychiatry; Quality of Life; Risk Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires; Mood disorder; Heart failure; Heart disease; Cardiovascular disease; Depression; Circulatory system; Cardiology
• ISSN: 0002-9149; 1879-1913
• DOI: 10.1016/j.amjcard.2011.10.039

Heart failure (HF) and depression are debilitating diseases with significant effects on functional status and real and perceived quality of life. Despite many advances in therapy for HF mortality remains high. Depression and HF have been recognized to coexist but this does not imply a causative relation. Depressed patients develop more symptoms, have worse compliance with medication regimens, are slower to return to work and social activities, and seem to have a poorer quality of life. In patients with known cardiac disease depression also predicts future events independent of disease severity and other risk factors such as smoking or diabetes mellitus. In conclusion, this review attempts to address the cause/effect relation, if any, between HF and depression and the role of treatment of depression in the setting of HF.