Title:Depression as an Immunometabolic Disorder: Exploring Shared Pharmacotherapeutics with Cardiovascular Disease
Volume: 18
Issue: 11
Author(s): Mervin Chávez-Castillo, Manuel Nava, Ángel Ortega, Milagros Rojas, Victoria Núñez, Juan Salazar*, Valmore Bermúdez and Joselyn Rojas-Quintero
Affiliation:
- Endocrine and Metabolic Diseases Research Center, School of Medicine, University of Zulia, Maracaibo,Venezuela
Keywords:
Depression, cardiovascular disease, chronic inflammation, insulin resistance, oxidative stress, metabolism.
Abstract: Modern times have seen depression and cardiovascular disease (CVD) become notorious
public health concerns, corresponding to alarming proportions of morbidity, mortality, decreased
quality of life, and economic costs. Expanding comprehension of the pathogenesis of depression as
an immunometabolic disorder has identified numerous pathophysiologic phenomena in common
with CVD, including chronic inflammation, insulin resistance, and oxidative stress. These shared
components could be exploited to offer improved alternatives in the joint management of these
conditions. Abundant preclinical and clinical data on the impact of established treatments for CVD
in the management of depression have allowed for potential candidates to be proposed for the joint
management of depression and CVD as immunometabolic disorders. However, a large proportion
of the clinical investigation currently available exhibits marked methodological flaws which preclude
the formulation of concrete recommendations in many cases. This situation may be a reflection
of pervasive problems present in clinical research in psychiatry, especially pertaining to study
homogeneity. Therefore, further high-quality research is essential in the future in this regard.