Effect of exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation on multiple atherosclerotic risk factors in patients taking antidepressant medication

Depression Is Associated With Reduced Outpatient Cardiac Rehabilitation Completion Rates: A SYSTEMATIC LITERATURE REVIEW AND META-ANALYSIS

PURPOSE

Depression is associated with recurrent cardiac events and death in patients with coronary heart disease and congestive heart failure. Furthermore, depression may be associated with reduced completion of outpatient cardiac rehabilitation (CR), an empirically supported treatment for patients with coronary heart disease and congestive heart failure that reduces recurrent coronary events and cardiac mortality. The goal of the current systematic review and meta-analysis was to explore the association between depression and outpatient CR completion.

METHOD

A systematic literature review cross-referenced 3 electronic databases (PsycINFO, MEDLINE, and Dissertation Abstracts International) from inception through February 15, 2015. Studies quantifying an association between depression and outpatient CR completion were identified for review. A random-effects model was used to pool quantitative data, moderators were tested, and publication bias was analyzed.

RESULTS

Seventeen studies with 19 independent samples consisting of 30 586 cardiac patients were included in the meta-analysis. A moderate inverse relationship between depression and outpatient CR completion was observed (g = -0.44; 95% CI, -0.59 to -0.29), indicating that depressed CR patients were significantly less likely to complete their prescribed CR programs. No significant moderator variables were identified. A minor amount of publication bias was detected.

CONCLUSION

Depression is associated with reduced outpatient CR completion rates. Future research should focus on attendance interventions for depressed CR patients, as completion of outpatient CR reduces cardiac and all-cause mortality.

Lifestyle Modification in Secondary Prevention: Beyond Pharmacotherapy

Despite significant advances in medical technology and pharmacology, cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains a major contributor to health care expenses and the leading cause of death in the United States. Patients with established CVD and their health care providers are challenged with achieving cardiovascular risk reduction to decrease the likelihood of recurrent cardiovascular events. This "secondary prevention" can be achieved, in part, through adherence to prescribed pharmacotherapies that favorably modify major coronary risk factors (ie, hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, and obesity). However, lifestyle modification can also be helpful in this regard, providing independent and additive benefits to the associated reductions in cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Accordingly, physicians and other health care providers should routinely counsel their coronary patients to engage in structured exercise and increased lifestyle physical activity, consume a heart-healthy diet, quit smoking and avoid secondhand smoke, and purposefully address psychosocial stressors that may elevate cardiovascular risk. These lifestyle interventions, either as an adjunct to medication therapy or independently in those patients where medications may be poorly tolerated, cost prohibitive, or ineffective, can significantly decrease cardiovascular mortality and the risk of recurrent cardiac events.

Multicenter Study of Temporal Trends in the Achievement of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factor Goals During Cardiac Rehabilitation

PURPOSE

Secondary prevention risk factor goals have been established by the American Heart Association/American College of Cardiology, and the American Heart Association has further delineated ideal cardiovascular health metrics. We evaluated risk factor goal achievement during early-outpatient cardiac rehabilitation (CR) and temporal trends in risk factor control.

METHODS

Patients completed assessments on entry into and exit from CR at 35 centers between 2000 and 2009 and were categorized into 3 cohorts: entire (N = 12 984), 2000-2004 (n = 5468), and 2005-2009 (n = 7516) cohorts.

RESULTS

Improvements occurred in multiple risk factors during CR. For the entire cohort, the percentages of patients at goal at CR completion ranged from 95.5% for smoking to 21.9% for body mass index (BMI) of <25.0 kg/m. Compared with 2000-2004, the percentage of the 2005-2009 cohort at goal was higher (P < .001) for blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and physical activity, lower (P = .005) for BMI, and not significantly different (P > .05) for fasting glucose and smoking. At CR completion, of those in the entire, 2000-2004, and 2005-2009 cohorts, 4.4%, 3.9%, and 4.8% (P = .219 vs 2000-2004), respectively, had all biomarkers at the goal for ideal cardiovascular health and, of those with atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease, 70.8%, 71.5%, and 70.3% (P = .165 vs 2000-2004), respectively, were receiving statins.

CONCLUSIONS

The percentage of patients at goal at CR completion increased for some, but not all, risk factors during 2005-2009 versus 2000-2004. Despite the benefits of CR, risk factor profiles are often suboptimal after CR. There remains room for improvement in risk factor management during CR and a need for continued intervention thereafter.

Antidepressant Use and Subclinical Measures of Atherosclerosis: The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis

BACKGROUND

Antidepressants are commonly prescribed medications used in primary care. The cardiovascular safety profile of antidepressant medications, in terms of subclinical atherosclerosis, is underexamined.

METHODS

A total of 6814 participants in the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis were examined. At baseline, the mean age was 62 years with 4 race/ethnic groups represented: European Americans (38%), Hispanic Americans (23%), African Americans (28%), and Chinese Americans (11%). Antidepressants were subgrouped as serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), tricyclic antidepressants (TCAs), serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors (SNRIs), and "other" (bupropion, nefazodone, trazodone, mirtazapine). After adjusting for potential confounders, we estimated the association between antidepressant use and the following measures of subclinical atherosclerosis: coronary artery calcium (CAC), the ankle-brachial index, and carotid intima-media thickness, both cross-sectionally and prospectively.

RESULTS

A total of 324 participants were exposed to SSRIs, 88 to TCAs, 41 to SNRIs, and 123 to other antidepressants. For CAC incidence, the fully adjusted longitudinal analyses revealed no consistent associations with SSRIs (relative risk [RR], 0.99; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.71-1.37), SNRIs (RR, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.13-1.86), TCAs (RR, 0.94; 95% CI, 0.50-1.77), other antidepressant (RR, 0.87; 95% CI, 0.73-1.03) exposure, and subclinical disease. Similar null results were obtained in the cross-sectional and longitudinal exposure to antidepressants with changes in baseline CAC greater than 0, ankle-brachial index, and carotid intima-media thickness.

CONCLUSIONS

The results of the current study do not support an association between antidepressants and subclinical atherosclerosis.