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Comparative Study
. 2005 Nov;150(5):1017-25.
doi: 10.1016/j.ahj.2005.05.005.

Sex differences in depression after coronary artery bypass graft surgery

Rachel H B Mitchell  1 , Emma Robertson, Paula J Harvey, Robert Nolan, Gary Rodin, Sarah Romans, Beth L Abramson, Stephanie J Brister, Joan Ivanov, Donna E Stewart
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Sex differences in depression after coronary artery bypass graft surgery

Rachel H B Mitchell et al. Am Heart J. 2005 Nov.

Abstract

Background: Previous research suggests that after coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery, women fare worse than men. This study investigates sex differences in depression during recovery from CABG surgery.

Methods: We followed 137 patients (72 men, 65 women) undergoing elective isolated first CABG surgery between July 2003 and April 2004. Patients were interviewed < or = 28 days before surgery and between 6 and 12 weeks after surgery. Patients completed a structured diagnostic interview for major depressive disorder (MDD) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Clinical data were retrieved from patient charts.

Results: Prevalence of MDD before surgery was 28.2%, but decreased to 16.4% after surgery (P = .038). Women had significantly more depressive symptoms than men pre-CABG, with a mean BDI of 12.5 (95% CI 10.6-14.4) for women versus 8.0 (95% CI 6.3-9.8) for men (P = .0001), but not post-CABG. There was a significant sex-by-time interaction with depressive symptoms in women improving almost 6-fold more than in men, with BDI change scores of 4.1 (95% CI 2.0-6.1) for women versus 0.7 (95% CI-1.0-2.5) for men (P = .008). The interaction remained significant after adjusting the model for the predetermined baseline characteristics education, social support, and operative risk.

Conclusions: Women had more depressive symptoms than men pre-CABG, but improved to a level comparable to men post-CABG. Women benefited from CABG as much or more than men in terms of their mental health. Preoperative depressive symptoms should not preclude women from CABG surgery.

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