Prevalence of depressive symptoms and associated factors in patients starting a cardiac rehabilitation program




Juan C. Ávila-Valencia, Departamento de Investigación, Clínica de Occidente S. A.; Facultad de Salud y Rehabilitación, Institución Universitaria Escuela Nacional del Deporte Cali, Colombia
Diana C. Ramírez-Moreno, Maestría en Epidemiología, Universidad Libre, Cali, Colombia
Edwin A. Lizarazo-Herrera, Departamento de Investigación, Clínica de Occidente S. A.; Maestría en Epidemiología, Universidad Libre; Cali, Colombia


Introduction: Coronary heart disease is one of the leading causes of death worldwide (1). Treatment for coronary disease is pharmacological and non-pharmacological. When the diagnosis is recent, patients begin an adaptive process and with this the possibility of developing depressive symptoms. Objective: To identify the prevalence of depressive symptoms and factors associated with presenting these symptoms at the beginning of the cardiac rehabilitation program in patients with coronary disease in a health institution. Materials and method: Analytical cross-sectional study in 95 patients with coronary disease who started the cardiac rehabilitation program. Sociodemographic data, cardiovascular risk factors, physical activity, and depressive symptoms subscale scores were measured with the DASS-21. Prevalence and prevalence ratios were estimated using Poisson regression models with robust variance, with confidence levels of 95%. Results: 70.5% who started the program presented depressive symptoms. The health regime (PR: 0.75; 95% CI: 0.60-0.94; p = 0.013), cardiovascular risk (PR: 0.62; 95% CI: 0.50-0.77; p < 0.001) and the Previous sternotomy (95% CI: 1.01-1.62; p = 0.040) are associated factors for depressive symptoms in these patients. Conclusions: Seven out of ten patients with coronary disease who start the program presented depressive symptoms.



Keywords: Prevalence. Depressive symptoms. Coronary disease. Cardiac rehabilitation.