Letter to the Editor

Depression in Heart Failure: Is It Well Recognized?

Authors: Ahmed Khurshid Pasha, MD, Justin Z. Lee, MD

Abstract

To the Editor: Heart failure (HF) is a serious entity affecting not only the physical health but also the mental health of individuals. Approximately 5 million people in the United States have HF.1 In the midst of guideline-directed therapy and prevention of hospital readmission for HF, depression often is underrecognized because the symptoms of HF and depression overlap. The prevalence of depression in HF ranges from 30% to 46% and varies with the stage in the New York Heart Association classification system.2

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References

1. Go AS, Mozaffarian D, Roger VL, et al. Heart disease and stroke statistics–2013 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation 2013;127:e6-e245.
 
2. Hwang B, Moser DK, Pelter MM, et al. Changes in depressive symptoms and mortality in patients with heart failure: effects of cognitive-affective and somatic symptoms. Psychosom Med 2015;77:798-807.
 
3. Newhouse A, Jiang W. Heart failure and depression. Heart Fail Clin 2014;10:295-304.
 
4. Smith DH, Johnson ES, Blough DK, et al. Predicting costs of care in heart failure patients. BMC Health Serv Res 2012;12:434.