Probability assessment of comorbid conditions: cardiovascular diseases and depression

Objective. The work objective is to improve the treatment efficacy of various heart diseases with depressive symptoms. Materials and Methods. The study enrolled 158 patients with cardiovascular disorders (77 women, 81 men), among them 89 patients with stable coronary heart disease, 42 patients with arterial hypertension, 18 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy, and 9 patients with structural heart defects. Experimental group enrolled 30 patients aged from 32 to 78 years without distinct somatic pathology. General clinical examination, laboratory tests and instrumental survey were conducted in a cardiology clinic according to current standards. Beck Depression Inventory was used to identify depression symptoms. Results. Patients with organic heart diseases demonstrate high probability of depressive disorders. Disease incidence and severity depend on the peculiarities of cardiovascular pathology. Negative influence of depression on heart disease treatment efficacy and patient adherence to recommended treatment regimens was observed. Conclusion. Patients with different structural heart defects demonstrate depression in 40,5 % of cases. The highest frequency of depression was diagnosed in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. The frequency and severity of depression depend on the functional class of angina, the degree of hypertension, heart failure model, and also on such earlier diseases as myocardial infarction, stroke, or transient ischemic attacks. Patients with depression demonstrate decrease in adherence to heart disease treatment and to lifestyle modifications in 87,3 %. Efficacy of treatment of cardiovascular diseases without using antidepressant drugs in patients with depression is much lower.