Cor Vasa 2007, 49(4):143-146 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2007.053

Depression and the inflammatory state

Alexandra Pilipčincová, Rudolf Poledne

Laboratoř pro výzkum aterosklerózy, Institut klinické a experimentální medicíny, Praha, Česká republika

The importance of depression as a risk factor in the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) and its complications is well established. The biological mechanism, which could explain this relation remains to be unclear. It has been suggested the link could be chronic inflammation and increased levels of C-reactive protein (CRP), a marker of inflammatory processes. Attempts have been made to verify this hypothesis in a healthy population and, also, in a population with already developed CVD. The acceptance of definitive conclusions in relation to individuals with CVD is complicated by the ambiguity of the relation of cause and consequence and the small sample size. In large samples of healthy population, the relation between depression and CRP has been clearly demonstrated.

Keywords: Depression; Inflammatory state; C-reactive protein; Interleukin-6; Cardiovascular disease

Published: April 1, 2007  Show citation