Myocardial Oxygenation in People with Depressive Symptoms: A Cardiac Magnetic Resonance Imaging Study

Depression and stress-related disorders are significant global health issues, affecting individuals’ quality of life and productivity. They are associated with higher risk  of cardiovascular diseases and increased mortality. Women suffer from nearly twice as many depression and anxiety disorders as men. However, the risk for CVD in women is often underestimated due to underrepresentation in clinical trials and lack of sex/gender-specific data. Understanding how sex/gender differences affect cardiovascular functions could help prevent adverse events in women. The pathophysiological association between depression, stress, and cardiac function is still under evaluation but, revealing this association using cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) could improve patient prognosis. The study aims to investigate the relationship between depressive symptoms and myocardial oxygenation using the OS-CMR, stress, inflammation markers, and cardiac remodelling markers. Finally,  to understand gender differences in myocardial oxygenation in individuals with depressive and stress symptoms using Gender and Sex determinants of cardiovascular disease.