Abstract 18912: Interplay Between Cognitive Function and Depressive Symptoms in Patients With Heart Failure

Abstract

Introduction: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and depressive symptoms (DS) are common comorbidities in patients with heart failure (HF). MCI and DS are known to be related from cross-sectional studies, but the trajectory of DS over time is unknown in patients with HF and MCI. Objective: To compare the trajectory of DS over a 2-year period based on cognitive function in patients with HF. Methods: We studied 373 patients (age 65 ± 13 years, 60% male, 26% NYHA class III/IV) with HF for 24-months. MCI was assessed using the Mini-Cog Test, and DS using the Patient Health Questionnaire-9; MCI was measured at baseline, and DS at baseline, 12 and 24 months. We used repeated-measures ANOVA for analysis with age and New York Heart Association (NYHA) class as covariates. Results: There was a significant time by group interaction (p = 0.027) in that DS decreased across time from baseline to 24-months in patients without MCI, while DS in patients with MCI, although decreased at 12-months, returned to baseline levels at 24-months (Figure). Although DS were higher in patients with worse NYHA class, they showed the same trajectory across time based on MCI. Conclusions: Although these data suggest that MCI worsens or prevents remission of DS overtime, the interplay between these two conditions requires further study to better understand how MCI and DS affect each other and how they interact to alter outcomes in patients with HF.