Teresa Caulin-Glaser

The American College of Cardiology—National Cardiovascular Data Registry was used to assess the impact of a community education campaign related to heart disease in women on the number of women, relative to men, receiving diagnostic catheterization prior to initiation of the campaign and at

Symptoms of depression are often seen in patients with coronary heart disease. Symptoms appear more commonly in women and are negatively associated with measures of cardiovascular health. Using multiple logistic regression analyses, the authors evaluated the independent effects of depression (as measured by the Beck Depression Inventory [BDI‐II]) and sex on cardiac rehabilitation (CR) completion. In addition, in those who completed CR, the authors evaluated whether depressive symptoms and sex affected clinical outcomes. Women as well as participants with enrollment BDI‐II scores ≥14 had significantly higher rates of CR noncompletion. Patients with BDI‐II scores ≥14 who completed CR achieved significant improvements in lipid profile, body mass index, and exercise capacity regardless of sex. Women and individuals with BDI‐II scores ≥14 are at risk for CR noncompletion and should be encouraged to complete CR, because cardiovascular benefits comparable to those seen in men and individuals with low BDI‐II scores were achieved when these patients completed the CR program.

Inflammation is involved in the development of atherosclerotic plaque. The most studied indicator of inflammation in coronary heart diseases (CHD) is C-reactive protein (CRP) which has prognostic significance in those with CHD. The purpose of this study is to evaluate the effect of participation in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) on this marker of vascular inflammation, CRP. We analyzed CRP levels in 172 patients with CHD who participated in a CR program. Men and women in CR demonstrated significant improvement in body mass index (−0.35, P = .002), exercise capacity (METs 1.8, P < .0001), HDL-C (1.8, P = .003), and CRP (−3.1, P = .003). The improvement in CRP was not significantly different based on age or the presence of metabolic syndrome. Participation in CR was associated with a marked improvement of cardiac risk factors and appears to independently decrease the level of CRP regardless of gender, age, or presence of metabolic syndrome.