Depression as a Primary Risk Factor for Coronary Heart
Disease
Depression is an independent risk factor for the development
of CHD [4]. A meta-analysis of 11 prospective cohort
studies of initially healthy individuals indicated that
depression conferred a relative risk of 2.69 for adverse cardiac
events, including myocardial infarction and cardiac
death [5]. The Framingham heart study analyzed the risk
ratios (Odds Ratio: OR) for traditional risk factors as well as
clinical depression in men. The relative risk of depression