Background factors and clinical symptoms of major depression with silent cerebral infarction

Abstract

Background and Purpose We previously reported that major depression developing during or after the presenile period is frequently combined with silent cerebral infarction and that these patients have a high risk of stroke. Therefore, we investigated whether the background factors and clinical symptoms of patients with major depression with silent cerebral infarction [SCI( + )] differed from those in patients with major depression without silent cerebral infarction [SCI(−)] before medical treatment. Methods Patients with major depression with onset after 50 years of age were classified based on magnetic resonance imaging findings into the SCI( + ) (n=37) or SCI(−) (n=20) group. The diagnostic criteria for major depression were those of the American Psychiatry Association (DSM-III-R). Patients with stroke or focal neurological symptoms were excluded. The SCI( + ) group was subclassified according to whether the infarction area was perforating, cortical, or mixed artery. Family history of affective disorder, risk factors for stroke, and Zung's Self-rated Depression Scale (SDS) score before medical treatment of the group were compared. Results The SCI( + ) group had a significantly lower (P