Association Between Depressive Symptoms and Cardiac Structure and Function in a Peruvian Population

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Psychiatry
• Public Health

Background:

• Depressive disorders are a major global cause of disability, disproportionately affecting low- and middle-income countries.
• Depression is linked to adverse outcomes in cardiac disease, including heart failure (HF), but the underlying mechanisms are unclear.
• Understanding the relationship between depressive symptoms and cardiac health is crucial for improving patient care, especially in at-risk populations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between depressive symptoms and cardiac structure and function.
• To explore potential mechanistic links between depression and heightened cardiac risk in a Peruvian population.

Main Methods:

• A random sample of adult participants from the CRONICAS cohort study in Peru was analyzed.
• Depressive symptoms were assessed using the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) in 2010.
• Cardiac structure and function were evaluated using transthoracic echocardiography in 2014.
• Multivariable linear regression models were employed to examine the relationships, adjusting for relevant covariates.

Main Results:

• Out of 373 participants, 91 (24%) exhibited clinically significant depressive symptoms.
• Clinically significant depressive symptoms were significantly associated with reduced septal e' velocity (a measure of diastolic relaxation), with a mean difference of -0.72 cm/s (p = 0.004).
• No other significant associations were observed between depressive symptoms and other echocardiographic measures of cardiac structure or function.

Conclusions:

• Clinically significant depressive symptoms are associated with impaired diastolic relaxation velocity in the Peruvian population.
• The findings suggest a specific cardiac functional abnormality linked to depression, warranting further investigation into its clinical implications for heart failure patients.