The role of alexithymia in predicting incident depression in patients at first acute coronary syndrome
Abstract
Alexithymia has been considered both to predispose to depression and to worsen cardiac prognosis after an acute coronary syndrome. Nonetheless, no studies have evaluated its role as a risk factor for incident depression, in patients with acute coronary syndrome. In 251 consecutive patients, the presence of a first-ever depressive episode was evaluated with the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders at baseline and 1, 2, 4, 6, 9, 12 and 24 months after their first acute coronary syndrome. At baseline, patients completed the Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale. Out of 251 subjects (80.9% males), a first-ever depressive episode was diagnosed in 66 patients. Depressed and never-depressed patients differed in female gender, living status, alexithymic scores at TAS-20 and depressive symptoms. Nonetheless, nor the TAS-20 factors nor its total score were predictive of developing a depressive episode in a Cox regression. Moreover, baseline differences in TAS-20 scores between the two groups, disappeared after controlling for anhedonic symptoms. Our results do not support the hypothesis that alexithymia at TAS-20 is a risk factor for incident depression after acute coronary syndrome.
References
Relationship between alexithymia and panic disorder: a longitudinal study to answer an open question
Assessing alexithymia and type A behavior in coronary heart disease patients: a multimethod approach
Anhedonia as predictor of clinical events after acute coronary syndromes: a 3-year prospective study
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