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Depression and survival in chronic heart failure: does gender play a role?

Hermann Faller1, Stefan Störk, Marion Schowalter

  • 1University of Würzburg, Institute of Psychotherapy und Medical Psychology, Würzburg, Germany. h.faller@uni-wuerzburg.de

European Journal of Heart Failure
|July 31, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Major depression significantly increases mortality risk in chronic heart failure patients. This study found no gender difference in depression prevalence or its impact on survival, though further research is needed.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Psychiatry
  • Clinical Research

Background:

  • Conflicting data exists on depression's impact on chronic heart failure (CHF) outcomes.
  • Previous studies often overlook potential gender-specific differences in this relationship.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence and prognostic significance of depression in symptomatic heart failure patients.
  • To compare depression prevalence and its prognostic impact between male and female patients.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 231 consecutive outpatients with symptomatic heart failure was assessed.
  • Depression was measured using the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) at baseline.
  • Median follow-up was 986 days to assess mortality risk.

Main Results:

  • The prevalence of major depression was 13% and minor depression was 17%, with no significant gender difference.
  • Major depression, but not minor depression, was independently associated with a 3.3-fold increased mortality risk (HR=3.3, p<0.001).
  • The interaction between gender and depression on mortality risk was not statistically significant (p=0.37).

Conclusions:

  • Depression is highly prevalent in patients with chronic heart failure.
  • Major depression is an independent predictor of increased mortality in this population.
  • Further investigation in larger cohorts is warranted to explore potential gender differences in depression's prognostic impact.
Abstract

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