Somatic concerns, depressive traits, atherosclerosis and the incidence of cardiovascular disease in ageing Finnish men.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the impact of somatic concerns and depressive traits on carotid artery intima-media thickness (IMT) and on the incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD).


METHODS
In the cross-sectional study of 2682 Finnish men aged 42 to 61years, a subsample of 1333 men had their carotid artery IMT recorded. In the prospective part of the study participants (n=1453) were followed up for an average of 20years. Data on incident CVD (n=766) were obtained from the National Population Register. For both subsamples, the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI) was used to measure depressive traits and somatic concerns. In addition, composite scales of general ill-being, sleep and pain problems, psychological well-being, energy level, and cheerfulness were formed.


RESULTS
In the final corrected models there were no significant associations between somatic concerns or depressive traits and IMT. Both somatic concerns and depressive traits predicted a higher CVD incidence after adjustments for age and risk factors. The association between depressive traits and CVD incidence was highest among the subgroup of men with the highest levels of hsCRP, but this result did not reach statistical significance. Of the composite scales, general ill-being predicted a higher CVD incidence in the fully adjusted model, even when all the composite scales were entered into the model simultaneously.


CONCLUSION
Somatic concerns and depressive traits predict a higher CVD incidence. In particular, general ill-being contributes to this association. The association between depressive traits and CVD may be moderated by low-grade inflammation.
['Tolmunen|Tommi|T|', 'Lehto|Soili M|SM|', 'Laukkanen|Jari|J|', 'Ronkainen|Kimmo|K|', 'Julkunen|Juhani|J|', 'Kauhanen|Jussi|J|']
D000328:Adult D000375:Aging D050197:Atherosclerosis D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases D059168:Carotid Intima-Media Thickness D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies D003865:Depressive Disorder, Major D005387:Finland D005500:Follow-Up Studies D006801:Humans D015994:Incidence D008019:Life Style D016014:Linear Models D008297:Male D008498:Medical Record Linkage D008875:Middle Aged D016017:Odds Ratio D010551:Personality D011446:Prospective Studies D012307:Risk Factors D057566:Self Report
Cardiovascular Carotid artery Personality MMPI Inflammation Morbidity