Females With Major Depression are at Increased Risk for Cardiovascular Dysfunction: Effects of Sleep-Disordered Breathing

Abstract

Major depressive disorder (MDD), found in females at rates 2x higher than males, has been linked to increased incidence of cardiovascular disease (CVD). Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB), commonly associated with MDD, shows higher mortality in females and has been shown to increase cardiovascular risk due to increased inflammation and decreased bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO). In order to better understand cardiovascular risk in MDD, we investigated the separate and additive effects of MDD and SDB by sex on these cardiovascular risk biomarkers.