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Depression is common after myocardial infarction (MI), and medical outcomes are worse in depressed patients. These researchers addressed long-term survival in a 6.7-year follow-up study of 361 patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and major depression. The patients had participated in a randomized, controlled, industry-funded trial involving 6 months' treatment with sertraline or placebo (JW Cardiology Oct 11 2002).
Randomization had been stratified by left ventricular ejection fraction, dichotomous depression severity (Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression score, <18 vs. ≥18), and depression recurrence (≥2 vs. ≤1 previous episodes). Patients with severe depression at baseline were 2.71 times more likely to have died during follow-up t…