Coronary and Aortic Calcification in Women With a History of Major Depression

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Abstract
High levels of depressive symptoms are a risk factor for recurrent events in those with clinical coronary heart disease (CHD).1-6 Depressive symptoms may also predict CHD in healthy individuals.7 The risk persists after control for conventional risk factors, such as smoking, hypertension, and diabetes.8,9 A recent meta-analysis10 of 11 studies found that depression, combining studies of depressive symptoms and clinical depression, was associated with the development of CHD in initially healthy patients. Only 3 of the studies addressed the risk associated with clinical depression, with 2 showing a strong effect in men and women combined and the other study showing a weak effect in women.