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Relation of Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms to Coronary Artery Calcium (from the ELSA-Brasil Baseline Data)

Itamar S Santos1, Marcio S Bittencourt2, Priscila T Rocco2

  • 1Departamento de Clínica Médica da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil; Centro de Pesquisa Clínica do Hospital Universitário da Universidade de São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil.

The American Journal of Cardiology
|May 30, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Psychopathological symptoms, not specific anxiety or depression diagnoses, are linked to coronary artery calcium (CAC) in adults. This association is stronger in older individuals, highlighting the importance of mental health in cardiovascular risk.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Psychiatry
  • Epidemiology

Background:

  • Previous research on anxiety, depression, and coronary artery calcium (CAC) shows inconsistent findings.
  • Understanding the link between mental health and cardiovascular disease is crucial for public health.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between psychopathological symptoms and prevalent coronary artery calcium (CAC).
  • To analyze data from the Brazilian Longitudinal Study of Adult Health (ELSA-Brasil) baseline cohort.

Main Methods:

  • Cross-sectional analysis of 4,279 participants (aged 35-74) without prior cardiovascular disease.
  • Coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores assessed at baseline.
  • Anxiety and depressive symptoms measured using the Clinical Interview Schedule-Revised (CIS-R).
  • Binary logistic regression models used to assess associations.

Main Results:

  • Prevalent CAC (score >0) was observed in 28.3% of subjects.
  • A direct association was found between higher CIS-R scores and prevalent CAC, persisting after multivariate adjustment (OR 1.11; 95% CI 1.02-1.20).
  • No independent associations were identified for specific anxiety or depression diagnoses with prevalent CAC.
  • A stronger association between psychopathological symptoms and CAC was noted in older participants (p=0.019).

Conclusions:

  • Psychopathological symptoms are significantly associated with coronary atherosclerosis in the ELSA-Brasil cohort.
  • The association between mental health symptoms and CAC is more pronounced in older adults.
  • Focusing on broader psychopathological symptoms, rather than specific diagnoses, may be more relevant for cardiovascular risk assessment.

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