Association Between Depression and Outcomes in Chinese Patients With Myocardial Infarction and Nonobstructive Coronary Arteries

BACKGROUND: Myocardial infarction with nonobstructive coronary arteries (MINOCA) occurs in ≈10% of all patients with myocardial infarction. Studies on effects of depression on MINOCA outcomes are lacking. Therefore, the aim of this study was to examine the association of depression with clinical outcomes in Chinese patients with MINOCA. METHODS AND RESULTS: We conducted a prospective cohort study of 633 participants with MINOCA and followed up for 3 years. End points were defined as all‐cause mortality and cardiovascular events. Diagnosis of depression was ascertained using the psychiatric interview based on the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition (DSM‐5). During the follow‐up period, all‐cause death occurred in 93 individuals and cardiovascular events developed in 170 individuals. Kaplan‐Meier curves showed a significant association of depression with all‐cause mortality (log‐rank P<0.001) and cardiovascular events (log‐rank P<0.001). Multiple Cox regression identified the new diagnosis of depression as an independent prognostic factor for all‐cause mortality as well as cardiovascular events (adjusted hazard ratio, 7.250; 95% CI, 4.735–11.100; P<0.001; and hazard ratio, 3.411; 95% CI, 2.490–4.674; P<0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: The new diagnosis of depression at the time of myocardial infarction is associated with increased risk of adverse clinical outcomes in patients with MINOCA.