Cor Vasa 2021, 63(5):555-563 | DOI: 10.33678/cor.2021.046

Oxidative stress, depression, and risk of recurrence of stable coronary heart disease

Tarass Ivascenko^a, Vladimirs V. Voicehovskis^a, Julija G. Voicehovska^a, Andrejs Skesters^a, Ketija Apsite^a, Julija Grigorjeva^a, Anda Kivite-Urtane^a, Natalija Pahomova^b, Oskars Kalejs^a

^a Rigas Stradins university, Dzirciema str. 16, Riga LV-1007, Latvia

^b "Medsport", Liela str. 19-2a, Riga LV-1016, Latvia

Aim: The aim of the study was to investigate the relationships between a level of oxidative stress (OS), depression (D) and risk of recurrence of stable coronary heart disease (SCHD).

Methods: A retrospective study was conducted on 174 participants, at the age 45+ years: 86 in-patients of the cardiology department with a recurrent SCHD and 88 in-patients of the cardiology department with primary SCHD. The severity of depressive symptoms was assessed using the long 30-item form of Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), valid Latvian version of GDS-LAT. The blood samples were taken from each patient to measure oxidative stress parameters malondialdehyde (MDA) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx).

Results: 83.9% of the sample had high level of MDA. In 72.4% of the sample the GPx level was normal, in 17.8% it was high and in 9.8% low. Slightly more than a half of the patients were experiencing depression (44.3% - mild D and 6.9% - severe D). GPx was found statistically differing between primary and recurrent SCHD (p = 0,003). Patients with both D and high GPx had 10.6 times higher chances of recurrent SHCD compared to those without D and normal GPx (p = patients with present D were experiencing both - high levels of MDA and GPx – more often than responders with no D, but this wasn’t statistically signifi cant [p = 0.51]).

Conclusion: In the present study it was found that level of antioxidant (AO) enzyme GPx was signifi cantly higher in depressed patients with recurrent SCHD compared to patients without D and to patients with primary SCHD and patients with both D and high GPx had higher chances of recurrent SCHD compared to those without D and normal GPx. It could be supposed that GPx is a more signifi cant marker of risk of D and  recurrence of SCHD. The high level of MDA in most of both (primary and recurrent SCHD) groups patients could evidence that increased OS is a risk factor for CHD in general. Monitoring OS biomarkers seems to be important in the management of SCHD comorbidity with D. Further studies are warranted to confi rm these findings.

Keywords: Depression, GPx, Geriatric depression scale, MDA, Oxidative stress, Stable coronary heart disease

Received: March 18, 2021; Revised: March 18, 2021; Accepted: April 3, 2021; Published: October 20, 2021  Show citation