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The association between depression and heart disease is well known (e.g., JW Psychiatry Dec 22 2008). Because inflammation is elevated in both cardiac disease and depression, it has been implicated as a mediating factor. Previous studies have yielded conflicting findings regarding whether depression predicts subsequent increases in inflammatory markers or vice versa. The current study examined the direction of this association in cardiac patients. Researchers annually assessed depressive symptoms on the nine-item Patient Health Quotient (PHQ-9) for 5 years and obtained levels of three inflammatory markers at baseline and after year 5 in 667 outpatients with stable coronary heart disease who were participating in the large-scale, prospective…