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Physical activity protective against depression after heart attack

Regular physical activity was associated with lower odds of depression following a myocardial infarction, according to research published in The American Journal of Medicine.

"Physical inactivity is the fourth leading cause of death worldwide, and several epidemiological studies support a reciprocal relationship between physical activity and depression," Linda Ernstsen, RN, PhD, department of nursing science, Sør-Trøndelag University College, Norway, and colleagues wrote. "Results from a meta-analysis and systematic review on physical exercise intervention in depressive disorders suggest that physical exercise as treatment for depression has a moderate-to-large effect."

The researchers evaluated data from patients who had participated in the Nord-Trøndelag Health Study (HUNT) study, which was conducted over three periods of time: HUNT1, 1984-1986; HUNT2, 1995-1997; and HUNT3, 2006-2008. The HUNT studies collected data from blood samples, questionnaires and clinical measurements.

The final cohort consisted of 189 participants, 143 men and 46 women, who had reached the age of 60 years during the HUNT3 study. All participants were hospitalized with their first myocardial infarction since baseline during HUNT2 and had their depression measured during HUNT3.

Ernstsen and colleagues used self-reported physical activity data to divide the participants into four groups: persistently inactive, decreasing activity level, increasing activity level and persistently active. They measured depression and anxiety using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.

Results showed that 11% of participants were depressed after experiencing myocardial infarction. The researchers reported that participants in the persistently active group had lower odds of being depressed after myocardial infarction compared to participants who were persistently inactive (OR = 0.28; 95% CI, 0.08-0.98). Additionally, Ernstsen and colleagues identified a trend that indicated physical activity was protective against depression following myocardial infarction (P = .033).

"In a small sample of initially healthy individuals participating in three health surveys with 10-year intervals, we found that persistent patterns of physical activity level before being diagnosed with their first myocardial infarction significantly decreased the odds of postmyocardial infarction depression, which further supports the promotion of physical activity throughout the health care system," Ernstsen and colleagues wrote. "Despite the methodological limitations of the study, we believe that the results add important aspects to the existing literature concerning the long-term protective effect of regular physical activity on the development of depressive symptoms postmyocardial infarction that merit further investigation." – by Chelsea Frajerman Pardes

Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.