Talk to the Veterans Crisis Line now
U.S. flag
An official website of the United States government

VA Health Systems Research

Go to the VA ORD website
Go to the QUERI website

HSR Citation Abstract

Search | Search by Center | Search by Source | Keywords in Title

Depression and heart rate variability in patients with stable coronary heart disease: findings from the Heart and Soul Study.

Gehi A, Mangano D, Pipkin S, Browner WS, Whooley MA. Depression and heart rate variability in patients with stable coronary heart disease: findings from the Heart and Soul Study. Archives of general psychiatry. 2005 Jun 1; 62(6):661-6.

Dimensions for VA is a web-based tool available to VA staff that enables detailed searches of published research and research projects.

If you have VA-Intranet access, click here for more information vaww.hsrd.research.va.gov/dimensions/

VA staff not currently on the VA network can access Dimensions by registering for an account using their VA email address.
   Search Dimensions for VA for this citation
* Don't have VA-internal network access or a VA email address? Try searching the free-to-the-public version of Dimensions



Abstract:

CONTEXT: Depression is associated with low heart rate variability (HRV) in patients following myocardial infarction, suggesting that alterations in the autonomic nervous system may contribute to the adverse cardiac outcomes associated with depression. Whether depression is associated with low HRV in patients with stable coronary heart disease (CHD) is not known. OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between major depression and 24-hour HRV in patients with stable CHD. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS: Cross-sectional study of 873 outpatients with stable CHD recruited from outpatient clinics in the San Francisco Bay Area, California. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: Major depression was assessed using the Computerized National Institute of Mental Health Diagnostic Interview Schedule. Heart rate variability was measured by 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiography. RESULTS: A total of 195 participants (22%) had major depression. Overall, we observed no association between depression and HRV as measured by time domain or frequency domain variables. Mean HRV was similar in participants with and without depression (all P values > .10), and participants with depression were no more likely than those without depression to have low HRV (all P values > .10). CONCLUSIONS: We found no evidence of an association between depression and HRV in 873 outpatients with stable CHD. These findings raise questions about the potential role of HRV in the association between depression and cardiovascular disease.





Questions about the HSR website? Email the Web Team

Any health information on this website is strictly for informational purposes and is not intended as medical advice. It should not be used to diagnose or treat any condition.