Depressive symptoms independently linked to CVD risk: JAMA

UK: Depressive symptoms are associated with a modest increase in the risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD), suggests a recent study in the journal JAMA. The risk was evident even for people having depressive symptoms lower than the threshold indicative of a depressive disorder.

Whether depressive symptoms are independently associated with subsequent CVD risk is uncertain. Considering this, Eric L. Harshfield, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom, and colleagues aimed to characterize the association between depressive symptoms and CVD incidence across the spectrum of lower mood.

For the purpose, the researchers conducted a pooled analysis of individual-participant data from the Emerging Risk Factors Collaboration (ERFC; 162 036 participants) and the UK Biobank (401 219 participants). Eligible participants had information about self-reported depressive symptoms and no CVD history at baseline.

Depressive symptoms were recorded using validated instruments. ERFC scores were harmonized across studies to a scale representative of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression (CES-D) scale (range, 0-60; ≥16 indicates possible depressive disorder). The UK Biobank recorded the 2-item Patient Health Questionnaire 2 (PHQ-2; range, 0-6; ≥3 indicates possible depressive disorder).