[Depression and cardiovascular risk. Relationship, pathogenetic mechanisms, treatment and patient management. A review of the literature]. / Depressione e rischio cardiovascolare: relazioni, meccanismi patogenetici, trattamento e gestione del paziente. Rassegna della letteratura.

Depression is more frequent and also associated with a worse prognosis, in patient suffering from coronary artery disease. Although growing researches have been performed in the last year, confirming the importance of this association, the causal mechanisms still remains not fully understood. The treatment and patient management represents another not clarified issue. In this review of the literature we analyze the connections between depression and cardiovascular disease in terms of possible pathophysiological mechanism, cardiovascular prognosis, treatment and patient management.