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Published on: December 2, 2015
[C reactive protein in women with coronary heart disease and its association with depression]
Cora Stefanie Weber1, Kristina Orth-Gomér, Frank Zimmermann-Viehoff
1Charité Universitätsmedizin, Campus Benjamin Franklin, Hindenburgdamm 30, Berlin. cora.weber@charite.de
Insights
Depression and inflammation (C-reactive protein) are linked in healthy women but not in women with coronary heart disease (CHD). Further research is needed to understand depression
Area of Science:
- Cardiovascular Disease Research
- Psychoneuroimmunology
- Women's Health
Context:
- Depression elevates coronary heart disease (CHD) risk and worsens outcomes.
- Low-grade inflammation is a proposed mechanism, confirmed in men but not women.
- Investigating inflammation's role in women with CHD is crucial.
Purpose:
- To examine the association between C-reactive protein (CRP), a biomarker of inflammation, and depressive symptoms in women with CHD.
- To compare this association in women with CHD versus healthy controls.
Summary:
- No significant association was found between depressive symptoms and CRP in women with CHD.
- Healthy women with more depressive symptoms showed heightened CRP levels.
- Women with CHD exhibited higher CRP and more depressive symptoms than controls.
Impact:
- Findings suggest the link between depression and inflammation may differ in women with CHD compared to healthy women.
- Highlights the need for further research into depression's mechanisms in women's cardiovascular health.
- Contributes to understanding gender-specific pathways in cardiovascular disease.
Objectives:
Depression is associated with increased risk and poor outcome of coronary heart disease (CHD), though the mechanisms are largely unknown. Low-grade inflammation offers a possible biological pathway, which has been confirmed in men but not in women.
Methods:
We studied the association of C reactive protein (CRP), a biomarker of inflammation, with depressive symptoms in 292 women with CHD and 300 healthy age-matched controls, considering confounder variables (BMI, age, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, menopausal status). CRP was measured by a high sensitivity assay.
Results:
In the overall sample no significant association was found between depressive symptoms and CRP, whereas in the control group women with 2 or more versus 0-1 depressive symptoms showed heightened CRP (p = 0.005); there was no significant difference in CRP levels between CHD patients with 0-1 versus 2 or more depressive symptoms. Women with CHD had higher serum levels of CRP and more depressive symptoms than did controls.
Conclusions:
Contrary to men and healthy controls there was no link between CRP and depressive symptoms in women with CHD. More research is needed on how the harmful effects of depression are mediated, especially in women.
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