Cardiovascular disease risk higher for depressed women than men

Researchers report that depressed patients have an increased risk of developing cardiovascular disease (CVD), and that more women than men experience CVD after a depression diagnosis.

The findings were published on March 12, 2024 in JACC:Asia.

“The identification of sex-specific factors in the adverse effects of depression on cardiovascular outcomes may help in the development of targeted prevention and treatment strategies that address the specific CVD risks faced by depressed patients,” said author Hidehiro Kaneko, MD, assistant professor at the University of Tokyo in Japan. “A better understanding will allow healthcare providers to optimize care for both men and women with depression, leading to improved CVD outcomes for these populations.”

As background the authors noted that while depression is an established risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), the sex differences in the association have been unclear.

In their retrospective analysis, the researchers used data from the JMDC (Japan Medical Data Center) Claims Database for 2005 and 2022. The database included 4,125,720 subjects aged 18 to 75 years-old with no history of CVD.

Participants were tracked for a mean of 1,288 days to assess the association between depression and subsequent CVD events.

The investigators found a significant association between depression and subsequent composite CVD events in men and women. There was a stronger association in women.

A diagnosis of depression was associated with a 64% increased risk of CVD development in women and a 39% increased risk of CVD development in men. The difference was statistically significant (P<0.001).

“Furthermore, the individual components of the composite endpoint were also associated with depression in both men and women, each of which was also observed to be more strongly associated in women,” the authors said.

“The identification of sex-specific factors in the adverse effects of depression on cardiovascular outcomes may help in the development of targeted prevention and treatment strategies that address the specific CVD risks faced by depressed patients,” said author Hidehiro Kaneko, MD, assistant professor at the University of Tokyo in Japan and a corresponding author of the study. “A better understanding will allow healthcare providers to optimize care for both men and women with depression, leading to improved CVD outcomes for these populations.”