Cardiovascular risk factors and major depressive disorder: a cross-sectional study in São Paulo, Brazil

ABSTRACT BACKGROUND: Cardiovascular risk factors can mediate the association between depression and cardiovascular diseases. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate cardiovascular risk factors in adult individuals with and without histories of major depression in the metropolitan region of São Paulo, Brazil. DESIGN AND SETTING: Cross-sectional study in São Paulo (SP), Brazil. METHODS: This study evaluated 423 individuals without any lifetime diagnosis of major depression and 203 individuals with a previous diagnosis of major depression (n = 626). The participants underwent a psychiatric evaluation using a structured clinical interview (SCID-1), an anthropometric evaluation and a clinical evaluation that included blood pressure measurement and assessment of fasting blood glucose, lipid profile and physical activity levels. RESULTS: Individuals with histories of major depression were more likely to be female (P < 0.0001). Individuals with lifetime diagnoses of major depression were more likely to be current smokers (odds ratio, OR 1.61; 95% confidence interval, CI 1.01-2.59) and to have diabetes (OR 1.79; 95% CI 1.01-3.21); and less likely to be obese (OR 0.58; 95% CI 0.35-0.94). CONCLUSION: Individuals with major depression had higher odds of presenting tobacco smoking and diabetes, and lower odds of being obese. Healthcare professionals need to be aware of this, so as to increase the rates of diagnosis and treatment in this population.

Attentional bias to emotional faces on individuals in the remitted phase of recurrent depression: an eye-tracking study / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective To explore the attentional bias to emotional faces on individuals in the remitted phase of recurrent depression through eye-tracking study.Methods Center for epidemiologic studies depression scale (CES-D) and Hamilton depression scale (HAMD) were used to the diagnosis of 24 normal individuals and 21 depressed individuals and 24 individuals in the remitted phase of recurrent depression.Emotion face pictures were chosen as experiment material and discuss the mechanism of the attentional bias of individuals in the remitted phase of recurrent depression through the analysis of eye movement index.Results First fixation duration bias score on happy expression picture of individuals in the remitted phase of recurrent depression((52.60±0.06) ％) was less than normal controls ((59.26±0.09) ％) and the depression group((53.27±0.07)％),(F(1.66)=12.32,7.23,P＜0.05).Gaze Duration Bias score on sad expression picture of individuals in the remitted phase of recurrent depression ((59.17±0.08) ％) was more than normal controls((49.67±0.07) ％),(F(1.66) =4.29,P＜0.05).Conclusion Individuals in the remitted phase of recurrent depression show no original direction bias to sad and happy expression pictures.Original attentional avoidance and total attentional maintenance to sad expression picture exist in individuals in the remitted phase of recurrent depression.