RESUMO
Background: Major depression, a frequent psychiatric disease, is associated with ischemic heart disease. It is usually subdiagnosed and subtreated. Aim: To study the prevalence of major depression among survivors of an acute myocardial infarction. Patients and methods: Retrospective study of 42 survivors of an acute myocardial infarction treated at a regional Chilean Hospital. The presence of major depression in the 6 months previous to the acute myocardial infarction, was investigated using the diagnostic instruments CIDI (Composite International Diagnostic Interview) and DIS (Diagnostic Interview Schedule), psychiatric diagnoses were based on DSMIII-R. The prevalence of depression was compared with that observed in a group of 156 healthy subjects participating in a psychiatric epidemiological study. Results: Major depression was diagnosed in 12 male subjects with an acute myocardial infarction. The prevalence in the control group was significantly lower (15 percent, p <0.049). Patients with depression were older and required longer hospital stay than patients without depression. Conclusions: Patients with acute myocardial infarction, had a significantly greater prevalence of major depression in the previous 6 months, than the general population. Thus, major depression could be an independent and modifiable coronary risk factor