Bottom Line: Depression has been associated with poorer medical outcomes for patients with acute coronary syndrome (ACS), including heart attack and unstable angina. This randomized clinical trial of 300 patients in South Korea examined whether antidepressant treatment after ACS improved long-term cardiac outcomes. Patients received either the antidepressant escitalopram or placebo for 24 weeks. After about eight years of follow-up, the antidepressant escitalopram resulted in a lower occurrence of major adverse cardiac events than placebo (40.9 percent vs. 53.6 percent).
Authors: Jae-Min Kim, M.D., Ph.D., Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwangju, Republic of Korea, and co-authors
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(doi:10.1001/jama.2018.9422)
Editor's Note: Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, funding and support, etc.
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Journal
JAMA