Loading...
In a recent placebo-controlled study that examined the medical effects of sertraline in depressed patients with acute coronary syndromes, patients whose depression remitted during the study had better cardiac outcomes than patients without improvement (JW Psychiatry Oct 26 2009). However, the SSRI itself was not associated with medical benefit, as similar medical outcomes were seen in placebo and sertraline groups. In this 20-week, double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled Italian trial, researchers more closely examined the direct effect of the antidepressant in 100 patients with coronary heart disease (CHD) and depression (most patients had mild or moderate depression).
Participants received either sertraline (mean, 70 mg/day) or placeb…