Depression Tied to Worse Outcomes in CVD Patients

Depression affects approximately one-fifth of cardiovascular (CV) patients and is associated with worse outcomes including poor health care experiences and higher costs, according to new preliminary research.

These findings were presented by Victor Okunrintemi, MD, MPH, at the American Heart Association’s Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Scientific Sessions 2018, which took place from April 6 to 7, 2018, in Arlington, Virginia.
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In his presentation, Dr Okunrintemi referenced several studies, including one in which patient experience, healthcare expenditure, and resource use were assessed in a large population of adults with CVD with and without depression.

Ultimately the researchers found that those with a high risk for depression had higher annual healthcare expenditures, were more than twice as likely to be hospitalized and use the emergency room, were more than 5 times more likely to perceive their health status as poor, were 4 times more likely to be dissatisfied with their healthcare, and had worse healthcare-related quality of life compared with patients with a low risk for depression.

“While we don’t know which comes first—depression or [CVD]—the consensus is that depression is a risk marker for [CVD], meaning if you have [CVD], there is a higher likelihood that you could also have depression, when compared with the risk in the general population,” said Dr Okunrintemi in a press release.

In a second study, Dr Okunrintemi and colleagues investigated health resource use and expenditures among heart attack patients with and without depression.

Findings from the study revealed that heart attack patients with depression had 54% higher odds of hospitalization and 43% higher odds of emergency room visits compared with those without depression. In addition, those with depression spent an estimated $4381 more per year than those without depression.

Furthermore, in a separate study of more than 1600 patients with stroke, researchers found that patients who also had depression were more likely to report functional declines and worse stroke impact on health and quality of life in the months following their stroke.

With these findings in mind, the researchers emphasize the need for strategies geared towards the management of existing depression among patients with CVD.

—Christina Vogt

Reference:

Depression negatively impacts heart and stroke patients [press release]. Arlington, VA. American Heart Association. April 7, 2018. https://newsroom.heart.org/news/depression-negatively-impacts-heart-and-stroke-patients?preview=81cb. Accessed on April 9, 2018.