Older adults who are about to undergo a procedure to replace a damaged aortic valve of the heart tend to be depressed. It is also associated with a higher rate of death up to one year later.
Depression is increasingly recognized as a risk factor for adverse outcomes in cardiovascular disease. However, little is known about the effect of depression on older adults undergoing transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) because no large study has focused on mental health in this patient population.
Coronary Heart Disease
In coronary heart disease, blood is unable to flow through blocked arteries. The main symptom is chest pain or angina. Treatment is with medications or surgery.
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‘Screening for depression may be justified for older adults referred for aortic valve replacement to reduce the risk of death.’
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Data from 1,035 adults 70 years or older who underwent TAVR or surgical aortic valve replacement (SAVR) between 2011-2016 was collected.
Symptoms of depression (exposure); death from any cause at one month and up to a year after TAVR or SAVR procedures (outcome) were assessed.
326 (31.5 percent) patients screened positive for depression, which was associated with an increased rate of death at one month and 12 months after the procedures.
Study Limitation: Testing with a formal psychiatric evaluation was not systematically done so there is a possibility of misclassification of depression status; the use of antidepressants and referral to psychiatric specialists also was not recorded.
Source: Eurekalert
326 (31.5 percent) patients screened positive for depression, which was associated with an increased rate of death at one month and 12 months after the procedures.
Study Limitation: Testing with a formal psychiatric evaluation was not systematically done so there is a possibility of misclassification of depression status; the use of antidepressants and referral to psychiatric specialists also was not recorded.
Source: Eurekalert
Clinical Depression
Clinical Depression is a serious medical condition that affects majority of people at some point in their lives. Symptoms of clinical depression include sleep disorder, loss of appetite.
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 Depression Symptom EvaluationDepression occurs due to alterations in the levels of neurotransmitters in the brain. | Advertisement
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Depression
Depression is one of the most common mental disorders affecting approximately 340 million people in the world. No one is immune from depression - it occurs in people of all social classes, all countries and all cultural settings.
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