The following is a summary of “Mediating role of sleep disturbance in the relationship between depression and cardiovascular disease,” published in the June 2024 issue of Psychiatry by Chen et al.
Researchers conducted a retrospective study to understand how depression, sleep troubles, and cardiovascular disease (CVD) are related, particularly investigating the role of sleep problems in connecting depression with CVD.
They analyzed data from 29,831 adults aged 20 or older. Using multifactorial logistic regression, links between depression, sleep problems, and CVD were explored. Bootstrap tests were employed to assess if sleep issues mediate the connection between depression and CVD.
The results showed that individuals with depression or sleep issues were significantly more likely to develop CVD. Depression was linked to 2.21 times (95% CI: 1.96-2.49) more significant risk of CVD, while sleep disturbance increased the likelihood by 1.74 times (95% CI: 1.6-1.9). Depression remained associated with sleep problems even after adjusting for potential factors (4.07, 95% CI: 3.73-4.44). Additionally, sleep problems mediated 18.1% of the association between depression and CVD.
Investigators concluded that depression, sleep issues, and CVD were linked, with sleep problems partly explaining why depression raises CVD risk. Addressing sleep disturbances could be vital in reducing CVD risk in patients with depression.
Source: frontiersin.org/journals/psychiatry/articles/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1417179/full