What is it about?
Adult patients with congenital heart disease are commonly affected by reduced quality of life and mood disorders have been reported to be overrepresented in this population. We investigated whether those patients requiring medication for depression have a worse outcome. We found that especially male patients with congenital heart disease and depressive medication had a worse survival compared to other patients. Also, these depressed male patients were less likely to regularly attend their scheduled follow-up appointments.
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Why is it important?
Depression is an under-recognised issue in adults with congenital heart disease. There is no screening strategy for depression in patients with congenital heart disease at most centres. Depression is linked to worse outcome especially in male patients and this could be potentially improved by a multidisciplinary care concept and a standardised screening strategy.
Perspectives
Psychosocial issues have been largely ignored in daily clinical practice in adult congenital heart disease. The current study illustrates the importance of this issue not only for patient quality of life but also for patient survival.
Dr Gerhard-Paul Diller
University Hospital Münster, Germany
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Depression requiring anti-depressant drug therapy in adult congenital heart disease: prevalence, risk factors, and prognostic value, European Heart Journal, August 2015, European Society of Cardiology,
DOI: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehv386.
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