Depression and Disease Severity in Patients with Premature Acute Coronary Syndrome

Objectives

The association between depression and cardiovascular disease severity in younger patients has not been assessed, and sex differences are unknown. We assessed whether major depression and depressive symptoms were associated with worse cardiovascular disease severity in patients with premature acute coronary syndrome, and we assessed sex differences in these relationships.

Methods

We enrolled 1023 patients (aged ≤55 years) hospitalized with acute coronary syndrome from 26 centers in Canada, the United States, and Switzerland, through the GENdEr and Sex determInantS of cardiovascular disease: From bench to beyond-Premature Acute Coronary Syndrome study. Left ventricular ejection fraction, Killip class, cardiac troponin I, and Global Registry of Acute Coronary Events score data were collected through chart review.

Results

The sample comprised 248 patients with major depression and 302 women. In univariate analyses, major depression was associated with a lower likelihood of having an abnormal left ventricular ejection fraction (odds ratio, 0.70; 95% confidence interval, 0.51-0.97; P = .03) and lower troponin I levels (estimate, −4.04; 95% confidence interval, −8.01 to −0.06; P = .05). After adjustment for sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, neither major depression nor depressive symptoms were associated with disease severity indices, and there were no sex differences.

Conclusion

The increased risk of adverse events in depressed patients with premature acute coronary syndrome is not explained by disease severity.