Depression symptoms have a greater impact on the 1-year health-related quality of life outcomes of women post-myocardial infarction compared to men.

OBJECTIVE: Several studies report that women with CAD have a poorer prognosis than men and suggest that depressive symptoms may be a contributing factor. The purpose of this study was to examine gender differences in depressive symptoms, as they relate to health-related quality of life outcomes following an AMI.

METHODS: Patients with documented AMI completed a questionnaire including the Short Form 36 physical (PCS), and mental component summary (MCS) scores, and Beck Depression Inventory at baseline and at 1 year after AMI admission.

RESULTS: 486 (82%) patients completed the follow-up questionnaire. Females had significantly worse PCS and MCS scores at baseline and 1-year follow-up compared to males The mean 1-year Beck scores were significantly higher (p=0.01) for females (10.02+/-8.23) compared to males (7.78+/-8.01) indicating more reported depressive symptomatology. Multivariate analyses showed significant gender-related differences in the PCS scores at 1 year, but no gender-related differences in the 1-year MCS scores.

CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that gender differences in mental health at 1 year relate to gender-related differences at 1-year depression levels. The higher level of depression in women may be a consequence of gender differences in recovery patterns from an AMI and requires further investigation.