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Contact: Liza Morris 202-955-6222[email protected]
Kim Lynch 847-498-8341 [email protected]
STUDY FINDS DEPRESSION WORSENS
CONGESTIVE HEART FAILURE SYMPTOMS
Study Reveals Need For More Aggressive Detection and Treatment
(Philadelphia, PA, November 7, 2001) -- A study to be presented at CHEST 2001, the 67th annual scientific meeting of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP), finds that patients with congestive heart failure (CHF) who are diagnosed with depression tend to have a poorer quality of life (QOL), limited social support and increased functional impairment. The study (Poster #226) proves that depression aids in the progression of heart failure.
"This study proves that depression -- the symptoms of which can be easily overlooked -- is a reality among CHF patients and can add to the severity of the CHF-related symptoms they experience," said Angel Lopez Candales, MD, assistant professor of cardiology and critical care unit director, State University of New York at Buffalo. "The lesson here is that physicians must recognize and treat depression in their CHF patients and by doing so we may not only improve the quality of patients' lives, but also increase therapy compliance and help decrease hospital admissions," said Tushar Vora, MD, Cardiology Fellow, SUNY at Buffalo, a co-investigator of the study.
The study reveals that 40 percent of the 75 CHF participants were diagnosed with depression and were likely to experience more severe CHF symptoms. This suggests that depression, which impairs patients' functional status, can also intensify the severity of CHF symptoms, thereby contributing to a reduced quality of life on a much larger scale. Functional impairments most commonly reported by patients were linked to mobility--driving, bathing, dressing and using the bathroom.
"This study confirms a relationship between depression and CHF that must not be ignored," said ACCP President Robert G. Johnson, MD, FCCP. "This is an opportunity for the medical community and the friends and relatives of CHF patients to ensure that the signs of depression are communicated to the physician, and that the physician in-turn treats the depression."
CHEST 2001 is the 67th annual international scientific assembly of the American College of Chest Physicians, November 4-8th. ACCP represents more than 15,000 members who provide clinical, respiratory, and cardiothoracic patient care in the U.S. and throughout the world. ACCP's mission is to promote the prevention and treatment of diseases of the chest through leadership, education, research and communication.
NOTE TO MEDIA:Poster #226 Grand Rounds and ReceptionWednesday, November 7, 200112:00 -- 1:45pmExhibit Hall
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