Epidemiology of depression in heart failure

Abstract

Depression in heart failure recently has become a topic of great interest because of the high prevalence of the diseases and their tendency to worsen medical prognosis. This article reviews the epidemiology of depression in heart failure and provides the necessary knowledge and insight for understanding the complex burden of the disease in terms of mortality, morbidity, health-care costs and impact on quality of life (QOL). Early detection and treatment of this comorbid association is important for patients to improve QOL and regain function. The article also highlights the wide heterogeneity in the prevalence of depression in heart failure across the various studies done and emphasizes the need for future research to address these gaps.