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Accumulation of Depressive Symptoms and Carotid Intima-Media Thickness: the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study

  • Original Article
  • Published:
Annals of Behavioral Medicine

Abstract

Background

The association between depressive symptoms and subclinical atherosclerosis has been inconsistent.

Purpose

We sought to replicate our previous study, which demonstrated a positive relation between depressive symptoms and subclinical atherosclerosis assessed with carotid intima-media thickness (IMT) in men, using a newer measurement of carotid IMT and a cumulative loading of depressive symptoms over three follow-ups.

Methods

The sample comprised 996 adults (352 men) aged 30 to 45 years in 2007 from a prospective population-based Finnish sample. The participants completed a modified version of Beck Depression Inventory in 1992, 1997, and 2001. Carotid IMT was assessed with ultrasound in 2001 and 2007. Cardiovascular risk factors (i.e., body mass index, systolic blood pressure, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and smoking) were measured in childhood (1980) and in adulthood (2007).

Results

We found no association between the accumulative depression index and carotid IMT before or after controlling for the traditional risk factors (all p values ≥0.67). Depressive symptoms did not predict IMT progression over two time points and the highest level of carotid wall thickening. Imputed and non-imputed data sets provided similar results. Results remained the same when men and women were analyzed separately. Additional analyses revealed no significant interactions between depressive symptoms and cardiovascular risk factors (i.e., body mass index and systolic blood pressure) on carotid IMT (all p values >0.15).

Conclusions

The findings of this population-based study did not indicate any direct association between depressive symptoms and carotid IMT in asymptomatic, young adults.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Behavioural Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Liisa Keltikangas-Järvinen PhD, Kateryna Savelieva MA, Marko Elovainio PhD, Laura Pulkki-Råback PhD & Mirka Hintsanen PhD

  2. National Institute for Health and Welfare, Helsinki, Finland

    Kim Josefsson PhD & Marko Elovainio PhD

  3. Helsinki Collegium for Advanced Studies, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Laura Pulkki-Råback PhD

  4. Department of Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

    Markus Juonala MD, PhD

  5. Division of Medicine, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland

    Markus Juonala MD, PhD

  6. Murdoch Childrens Research Institute, Parkville, VIC, Australia

    Markus Juonala MD, PhD

  7. Research Centre of Applied and Preventive Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Turku, Turku, Finland

    Olli T. Raitakari MD, PhD

  8. Department of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine, Turku University Hospital, Turku, Finland

    Olli T. Raitakari MD, PhD

  9. Unit of Psychology, Faculty of Education, University of Oulu, P.O. Box 2000, 90014, Oulu, Finland

    Mirka Hintsanen PhD

Authors
  1. Liisa Keltikangas-Järvinen PhD
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  2. Kateryna Savelieva MA
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  8. Mirka Hintsanen PhD
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Mirka Hintsanen PhD.

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Funding

This study was supported by the Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation (MH), the Academy of Finland (258711 (LK-J) and 258578 (MH)), and the Research Funds of the University of Helsinki (MH). The Young Finns Study has been financially supported by the Academy of Finland [grants 134309 (Eye); 126925, 121584, 124282, and 129378 (Salve); 117797 (Gendi); and 41071 (Skidi)]; the Social Insurance Institution of Finland, Kuopio, Tampere; and the Turku University Hospital Medical Funds, Juho Vainio Foundation, Sigrid Juselius Foundation, Yrjö Jahnsson Foundation, Paavo Nurmi Foundation, Finnish Foundation of Cardiovascular Research, Finnish Cultural Foundation, Tampere Tuberculosis Foundation, Signe and Ane Gyllenberg Foundation (LP-R), and Emil Aaltonen Foundation.

Authors’ Statement of Conflict of Interest and Adherence to Ethical Standards

Authors Keltikangas-Järvinen, Savelieva, Josefsson, Elovainio, Pulkki-Råback, Juonala, Raitakari, and Hintsanen declare that they have no conflict of interest. All procedures, including the informed consent process, were conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation (institutional and national) and with the Helsinki Declaration of 1975, as revised in 2000.

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Keltikangas-Järvinen, L., Savelieva, K., Josefsson, K. et al. Accumulation of Depressive Symptoms and Carotid Intima-Media Thickness: the Cardiovascular Risk in Young Finns Study. ann. behav. med. 51, 620–628 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-017-9884-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12160-017-9884-2

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