Psychological and pharmacological interventions for de-pression in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) – A systematic Cochrane Review

Comorbid depressive disorders are common in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) and associated with increased mortality, morbidity and health care costs as well as diminished quality of life. These findings emphasize the need for effective interventions to improve depression in patients with CAD. As yet, no systematic review exists on the efficacy of psychological and pharmacological interventions for treating depression in CAD patients with comorbid depressive disorders. The review will allow conclusions on the efficacy of specific interventions and will facilitate the comparability of the effects between different treatment modalities. Furthermore, the review will contribute to an increased knowledge of treatment possibilities and their outcomes, thus facilitating decision-making processes for patients, health care providers and policy makers. Future research in this field can be guided by the review through a discussion of shortcomings and methodological problems.
At the beginning of the project the review protocol will be prepared and the study will be registered in the Cochrane Collaboration. The systematic review will include randomised controlled trials (RCTs), which examine the efficacy of psychological or pharmacological interventions for treating depression in adult CAD-patients with comorbid depressive disorders. A comprehensive search strategy will be used to identify relevant primary studies. Data will be extracted from relevant RCTs and examined using meta-analytical procedures. Outcomes are mortality and non-fatal cardiac events, depressive symptoms, cardiac risk factors, economic parameters and health-related quality of life.