Depression and associated factors in coronary heart disease

Objective - To investigate whether depression was associated with cardiac s tatus and socio-demographic factors in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). Methods - The sample consisted of 144 symptomatic patients with CHD. For sc reening depression the Beck Depression Inventory was administered on the da y before elective coronary angiography. Results - Twenty-four per cent of patients had probable depressive disorder , but none of them had been previously identified as suffering from depress ion, or been treated for depression. Alexithymia and dissatisfaction with l ife were common in depressed patients. Logistic regression analysis showed that neither the cardiac status nor sociodemographic factors were associate d with depression. Conclusion - Depression is a common finding and should be looked for indepe ndently of other risk factors in patients with CHD.