Reduction of arterial stiffness in depressive individuals responding to multimodal treatment

Depressive individuals are at higher risk for cardiovascular diseases (CVD). Thus, cardiovascular parameters such as arterial stiffness, often measured by pulse wave velocity (PWV), should be monitored. Recent research indicated that depressive individuals exhibit higher PWV, but there is little data on the changeability of PWV through multimodal treatment. This study investigated PWV in moderately to severe depressive individuals before and after undergoing treatment in dependence on responding or not responding to treatment. 47 participants (31 females, 16 males) underwent a PWV measurement and filled out a questionnaire surveying depressive symptom severity before and after a six-week psychiatric rehabilitation treatment including multimodal interventions. Subjects were divided in responders and non-responders, depending on their treatment success. A mixed ANCOVA analysis indicated no significant main effect of responder status, but a significant main effect of measurement time and a significant interaction between responder status and measurement time. Responders exhibited a significant decrease in PWV across time, while no significant change in PWV across time was found for non-responders. Results are limited by the lack of a control group. The influence of medication duration or medication type was not considered in the analyses. Causality of the relationship between PWV and depression cannot be determined. These findings show that PWV can be positively modified in depressive individuals responding to treatment. This effect cannot solely be attributed to pharmacological interventions but rather the combination of multimodal interventions, thus highlighting the clinical relevance of multimodal treatment in depression and comorbid disorders. •Depression is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD).•CVD risk can be indicated by elevated pulse wave velocity (PWV).•PWV is higher in individuals with depression.•This study showed a PWV reduction after six weeks of multimodal treatment.•This result only applies to those responding to treatment.