Exercise is probably the best treatment for depression in coronary heart disease

An RCSI study indicates that exercise is probably the most effective short-term treatment for depression in people with coronary heart disease, compared with antidepressants and more complex psychotherapy or care.

The study, led by researchers at RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences, is published in the June issue of Psychosomatic Medicine.

This is the first systematic review to compare treatments depression in those with coronary heart disease and the results provide valuable clinical information to help physicians determine the best treatment plan for patients.

Researchers reviewed treatment trials that investigated antidepressants, psychotherapy, exercise, combined psychotherapy and antidepressants and collaborative care (i.e. treatments devised by a multidisciplinary team of physicians with patient input).

To measure efficacy, the researchers examined factors such as patient adherence to treatment (dropout rate) and change in depressive symptoms eight weeks after starting treatment.

It was found that the strongest treatment effects were exercise and combined treatments (antidepressants and psychotherapy). However, because the results of the combined study have a high risk of bias, the findings of the review suggest that exercise is probably the most important. effective treatment. Antidepressants had the greatest support for research, while psychotherapy and collaborative care did not perform well.

“Depression is common in patients with coronary artery disease. Having both conditions can have a significant impact on patients’ quality of life, so it is vital that they have access to the most effective treatments,” said Dr. . Frank Doyle, Population Health Sciences, RCSI and the first author of the study.

“Our study indicates that exercise is likely to be the best treatment to follow depression coronary artery disease. Our findings highlight the clinical importance of exercise as a treatment, as we see that it improves not only depression, but also other important aspects of heart disease, such as lowering blood pressure and cholesterol, in these patients.

“We continue to see emerging evidence of the importance of the lifestyle to be addressed disease—Compared to other treatments—, but more high-quality research is needed. People with coronary heart disease who have symptoms of depression, should talk to their doctor about the most appropriate treatments for their personal needs and doctors can rely on recommending exercise to their patients. “

Dr. Frank Doyle and the study’s senior authors, Professor Jan Sorensen (Health Outcomes Research Center, RCSI) and Professor Martin Dempster (School of Psychology, Queen’s University, Belfast), conducted the study in collaboration with Collaboration with researchers from the USA, the Netherlands. , the United Kingdom and Denmark.

This study was also the first of its kind to establish a new method for conducting systematic reviews known as hybrid review, which is a combination of general reviews and systematic reviews.

Provided by RCSI University of Medicine