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Depression and Cardiovascular Disease: Psychobiological Mechanisms

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Abstract

Both major depression and cardiovascular disease are leading causes of burden of disease worldwide. Major depression is common in those suffering cardiovascular disease, and likewise cardiovascular disease is common in those suffering major depression. This chapter aims to look at the association between the two and the underlying biological mechanisms that link them. There now is vast evidence indicating that major depression is a risk factor for the development of coronary heart disease. The mechanisms involved are numerous and certainly multifactorial. These include behavioral and lifestyle factors, the sympathetic nervous system, platelet function, and the autoimmune and inflammatory systems. Of importance is that major depression increases the mortality in those suffering coronary heart disease. Until recently it was thought that this increased mortality could be explained by the increased co-occurrence of classical cardiac risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, smoking, and dyslipidemia. It has now been shown that major depression is itself an independent risk factor. There is obvious need to understand the neurobiological mechanisms underpinning both of these disease processes. This would hopefully aid the development of better treatments of these diseases.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Human Neurotransmitters Laboratory, Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, 75 Commercial Road, Melbourne, VIC, Australia

    Arup Kumar Dhar, Gavin William Lambert & David Anthony Barton

  2. Faculty of Medicine, Nursing Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, VIC, 3004, Australia

    Arup Kumar Dhar, Gavin William Lambert & David Anthony Barton

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  1. Arup Kumar Dhar
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  2. Gavin William Lambert
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  3. David Anthony Barton
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Correspondence to Arup Kumar Dhar .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Monash Cardiovascular Research Centre, Monash University, Melbourne, Victoria, Australia

    Marlies E. Alvarenga

  2. ANU Medical School, Australia National University, Canberra, Aust Capital Terr, Australia

    Don Byrne

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Dhar, A.K., Lambert, G.W., Barton, D.A. (2016). Depression and Cardiovascular Disease: Psychobiological Mechanisms. In: Alvarenga, M., Byrne, D. (eds) Handbook of Psychocardiology. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-287-206-7_9

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