Heart Disease Inflammation Hastened by Depression

It is estimated that 24% to 42% of heart failure patients suffer from depression. A recent study found that depression is associated with increased levels of the protein tumor necro­sis factor-α (TNF-α) which, in cardiac patients, increases inflammation around the heart. TNF-α is a cytokine protein that is mobilized to repair infected areas of the body, often causing inflammation in the process. The researchers suggested that depression may trigger the pro­duction of TNF-α; however, it remains unclear whether depression causes the inflammation that leads to heart failure or whether heart fail­ure causes depression which accelerates inflam­mation. Physicians need to pay more attention to the possibility that heart disease patients may develop depression, and more research is needed to find out if antidepressant treatment can help slow the progression of heart disease. The study was published in the July 2005 issue of the American Heart Journal.