Journal
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
Volume 88, Issue 1, Pages 87-91Publisher
ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV
DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2005.05.012
Keywords
generalized anxiety disorder; major depressive disorder; coronary heart disease; blood pressure; smoking
Categories
Funding
- NIA NIH HHS [P01 AG020166] Funding Source: Medline
Ask authors/readers for more resources
Background:: Anxiety symptoms are associated with elevated coronary heart disease (CHD) risk, but it is not known whether such associations extend to anxiety disorders or if they are independent of depression. We sought to determine if generalized anxiety disorder is associated with elevated CHD risk, and whether this association is independent of or interacts with major depressive disorder. Methods: Generalized anxiety and major depressive disorders were assessed in a cross-sectional survey of a representative sample of U.S. adults aged 25-74 (N=3032). Coronary heart disease risk was determined by self-reported smoking status, body mass index, and recent medication use for hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, and diabetes. Results: Generalized anxiety disorder independently predicted increased CHD risk (F(1,3018)=5.14; b=0.39; 95% confidence interval (0.05-0.72)) and tended to denote the greatest risk in the absence of major depressive disorder. Limitations: The cross-sectional design cannot. determine the causal direction of the association. Conclusions: Generalized anxiety disorder appears to be associated with elevated CHD risk in the general population. It may denote excess CHD risk relative to major depressive disorder, and clinicians should consider CHD risk when treating generalized anxiety disorder. (c) 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
Authors
I am an author on this paper
Click your name to claim this paper and add it to your profile.
Reviews
Recommended
No Data Available