Positive Health Online

Abstract

SCOTT and COLLEAGUES,  Department of Psychological Medicine, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand. kate.scott@otago.ac.nz researched the associative factors involved in depression and heart disease.

Background

Prior studies on the depression-heart disease association have not usually used diagnostic measures of depression, or taken other mental disorders into consideration. As a result, it is not clear whether the association between depression and heart disease onset reflects a specific association, or the comorbidity between depression and other mental disorders. Additionally, the relative magnitude of associations of a range of mental disorders with heart disease onset is unknown.

Methodology

Face-to-face household surveys were conducted in 19 countries (n=52,095; person years=2,141,194). The Composite International Diagnostic Interview retrospectively assessed lifetime prevalence and age at onset of 16 DSM-IV mental disorders. Heart disease was indicated by self-report of physician's diagnosis, or self-report of heart attack, together with their timing (year). Survival analyses estimated associations between first onset of mental disorders and subsequent heart disease onset.

Results

After comorbidity adjustment, depression, panic disorder, specific phobia, post-traumatic stress disorder and alcohol use disorders were associated with heart disease onset (ORs 1.3-1.6). Increasing number of mental disorders was associated with heart disease in a dose-response fashion. Mood disorders and alcohol abuse were more strongly associated with earlier onset than later onset heart disease. Associations did not vary by gender.

Conclusion

Depression, anxiety and alcohol use disorders were significantly associated with heart disease onset; depression was the weakest predictor. If confirmed in future prospective studies, the breadth of psychopathology's links with heart disease onset has substantial clinical and public health implications.

References

Scott KM, de Jonge P, Alonso J, Viana MC, Liu Z, O'Neill S, Aguilar-Gaxiola S, Bruffaerts R, Caldas-de-Almeida JM, Stein DJ, de Girolamo G, Florescu SE, Hu C, Taib NI, Lepine JP, Levinson D, Matschinger H, Medina-Mora ME, Piazza M, Posada-Villa JA, Uda H, Wojtyniak BJ, Lim CC and Kessler RC. Associations between DSM-IV mental disorders and subsequent heart disease onset: beyond depression. International Journal of Cardiology.  168(6):5293-9. Source: NLM. NIHMS516450 [Available on 10/15/14]  Source: NLM. PMC3886238 [Available on 10/15/14]. 2013 Oct 15.