The Relationship Between Cardiovascular Disease Risk and Major Depression

Cardiovascular risk in depression has been investigated in small clinical samples and population-based studies revealing inconclusive results. However, cardiovascular risk in drug-naive depressed patients has not been tested extensively. Body mass index-based Framingham Cardiovascular Risk Scores and soluble intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (sICAM-1) levels were used to assess the risk of cardiovascular disease in drug-naive depressed patients and healthy volunteers. There were no significant differences in Framingham Cardiovascular Risk Scores and individually assessed risk variables between patients and healthy controls (HC). Both groups were comparable in terms of sICAM-1. The widely recognized association between cardiovascular risk and major depression might be more prominent in older depressed patients and patients with recurring episodes.