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Post-Myocardial Infarction Heart Failure in Closed-chest Coronary Occlusion/Reperfusion Model in Göttingen Minipigs and Landrace Pigs
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Published on: April 17, 2021

Association between depressive episode before first myocardial infarction and worse cardiac failure following

Chris Dickens1, Linda McGowan, Carol Percival

  • 1Department of Psychiatry, Manchester University, and the Department of Cardiology, Manchester Royal Infirmary, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9WL, U.K. c.dickens@man.ac.uk

Psychosomatics
|November 17, 2005
PubMed

Insights

Pre-infarction depression and cardiac failure after myocardial infarction (MI) are linked to higher mortality. Pre-existing depression and other factors predict worse cardiac outcomes post-MI, highlighting depression

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Psychiatry
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Depression following myocardial infarction (MI) is linked to increased mortality.
  • Cardiac failure post-MI also carries a high mortality risk.
  • Psychosocial factors before MI may influence post-MI cardiac outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate if pre-MI psychosocial characteristics predict cardiac failure after a first MI.
  • To assess the association between pre-MI depression and post-MI cardiac status.

Main Methods:

  • Study included 314 patients admitted for a first myocardial infarction.
  • Assessed psychosocial characteristics, including depressive episodes using ICD-10 criteria, prior to MI.
  • Analyzed predictors of cardiac failure severity post-MI.

Main Results:

  • 20.7% of patients experienced a depressive episode within one month before their MI.
  • Independent predictors of worse cardiac failure post-MI included older age, prior angina, and previous depressive episodes.
  • Pre-infarction depression was associated with increased cardiac failure severity.

Conclusions:

  • Pre-infarction depressive episodes are associated with worse cardiac failure after myocardial infarction.
  • Psychosocial factors, particularly depression, play a role in post-MI cardiac outcomes.
  • Identifying and managing pre-MI depression may improve cardiac prognosis after MI.

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