Síntomas depresivos posinfarto al miocardio: detección precoz en una población hospitalizada / Depressive symptoms after an acute myocardial infarction

ABSTRACT

Background: Depression after myocardial infarction (MI) is a frequent disorder and it increases the long-term risk of cardiac mortality. Aim: To assess the frequency of depressive symptoms and the history of depression in hospitalized post-MI patients. Patients and Methods: During three months, depressive symptoms and history of depression were studied in 47 consecutive patients (mean age 59,8±9,5 years, 68 percent male), admitted for MI to the Barros Luco Trudeau Hospital. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 2.1) were used with DSM-IV diagnosis criteria. Results: According to the results obtained using the CIDI, 27,7 percent of the patients had a history of depression. This occurred in 53,3 percent of women and 15,6 percent of men (p <0.01). During the hospitalization, 38,3 percent of patients had depressive symptoms (BDI FACE="Symbol">³ 17 points), affecting 60 percent of women and 28,1 percent of men (p <0.02). In women and patients with history of depression, depressive symptoms tended to be more common and more severe.

Conclusions:

Depressive symptoms in post-MI patients are frequent and attending physicians should actively detect them.