Subthreshold depression and its association with cardiovascular risk

BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is a widespread condition that is associated with significant morbidity, mortality, and cost. It is considered one of the leading causes of death in the world. Individuals with CVD and major depressive disorder have greater morbidity and mortality. Subthreshold depression (SubD) is a form of affective disorder that shares similar characteristics with major depressive disorder. METHODS: This systemic review of the literature was derived from Medline and PubMed searches. Our search yielded more than 30 articles. We narrowed them down to 11 studies based on the quality of the research done. Our main emphasis was on the assessment of the prevalence of and risk association between SubD and CVD. RESULTS: We should consider SubD as a variant of depressive disorder. Health care providers need to be taught to identify such patients in order to treat them appropriately, using both pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic interventions. CONCLUSIONS: SubD can significantly impact quality of life and is a decrement on the health of patients with CVD.