Outcome of treatment with antidepressants in patients with hypertension and undetected depression

The objective of the research was to determine whether the administration of antidepressants, concurrently with antihypertensive therapy, leads to the better regulation of blood pressure in patients with hypertension and increased depressiveness. Research was conducted in two outpatient family clinics in Rijeka, Croatia, on 452 patients with arterial hypertension who had not been diagnosed with depression prior to the study. The diagnosis of hypertension was made in accordance with the European Society of Hypertension and the European Society of Cardiology Guidelines for the Management of Arterial Hypertension. Using the Beck Depression Inventory and the ICD-10 criteria for depression, a group of depressed hypertensive patients (N=134) was selected. Out of a total of 134 selected patients, 73 patients (N=73) were receiving antidepressants together with antihypertensives for 24 weeks. They formed the experimental group. The rest of the patients (N=61) continued to receive only antihypertensives and they formed the control group. After the end of the 24 week therapy, the experimental group of patients had significantly lower levels of both systolic and diastolic blood pressure (Z=7.42 ; P<0.001 ; and Z= 7.36 ; P<0.001). The control group saw no significant difference between the level of blood pressure (both systolic and diastolic) prior to and after this period. The application of antidepressant therapy in patients with hypertension who are also depressed may be associated with the better control of blood pressure, which reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease in addition to alleviating depressive symptoms.