Depressive symptoms and prevalent cardiovascular disease among adults in Haiti

What is it about?

Depression and cardiovascular disease are major health concerns, but little is known about how they are connected in Haiti. We studied nearly 3,000 adults in Port-au-Prince to examine whether depressive symptoms were associated with prevalent cardiovascular disease. We found that adults with moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms had a higher prevalence of cardiovascular disease than those with no or mild symptoms, even after taking into account other factors that could affect cardiovascular health. We also examined whether this association differed between women and men.

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Photo by Reynaldo Mirault on Unsplash

Photo by Reynaldo Mirault on Unsplash

Why is it important?

Mental health and cardiovascular health are often addressed separately, particularly in resource-limited settings. Our findings show an association between moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms and prevalent cardiovascular disease among adults in Haiti. These findings support greater attention to mental health within cardiovascular disease prevention and care and highlight the need for further research to better understand this relationship over time.