Department of Psychiatry, St. Görans Hospital, Institution for Clinical Neuroscience, The Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. kristina.sundel@sll.se
BACKGROUND: Depression is an unfavorable state that is difficult to recognize in patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). Little is known about the characteristics of depressed female CHD patients. OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to investigate the occurrence of depressive symptoms in women entering a cardiac rehabilitation program, and furthermore, to examine whether women who have CHD and depressive symptoms display any unfavorable physical or psychological characteristics that could be helpful in identifying female CHD patients at increased risk of depression. METHODS: In a Swedish cross-sectional survey of Swedish women entering a randomized, female cardiac rehabilitation trial, patients with a Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) score indicating depression were compared with patients without depressive symptoms. RESULTS: Of the 121 women with CHD who participated in the study, 23.1% had BDI scores consistent with moderate to severe depression (BDI > or =19). Scores of > or =19 were strongly correlated to established angina pectoris (P = 0.007) and higher rates of anxiety on the Beck Anxiety Inventory (P