NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Depression appears to increase the development of blood vessel plaques, known as atherosclerosis, a condition that can lead to heart attack, stroke, and a host of other cardiovascular problems, according to a report in the Archives of General Psychiatry. ADVERTISEMENT Patients’ psychological status influence quality of life, and may also have a "significant impact" on their physical status, including cardiovascular health, Dr. Jesse C. Stewart, from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, told Reuters Health. Stewart and colleagues evaluated the contribution of depression, anxiety, and anger to atherosclerosis among 324 men and women between 50 and 70 years old. Symptom scoring tests evaluated the presence of depression, anxiety and anger, while the extent of atherosclerosis was accessed using an imaging test, which measured the thickness of the walls of the carotid arteries, major blood vessels in the neck that carry oxygen to the brain. Depressive symptoms were associated with plaque build-up during the 3-year study, the authors report, whereas anxiety and anger symptoms seemed to be unrelated. Increased daily alcohol intake was associated with greater changes in plaque build-up, the researchers note, whereas the use of antidepressant drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, including Zoloft and Prozac, was associated with smaller changes. "Taken together," the investigators conclude, "our results indicate that depression, but perhaps not anxiety and hostility/anger, may be involved in the initiation and/or progression of atherosclerosis." "Further studies examining multiple negative emotions could lead to the identification of the particular aspects of negative emotions that have a deleterious effect on cardiovascular health," Stewart added. "Identifying these harmful aspects could lead to...the development of more focused and perhaps potent interventions specifically designed to target the harmful aspects of negative emotions." SOURCE: Archives of General Psychiatry, February 2007. 译文: 纽约（路透社健康频道） 据《普通精神病学文献》杂志的一篇报道说，抑郁似乎能使所谓动脉粥样硬化的血管斑块增多。而动脉粥样硬化症可以引起心脏病发作、脑卒中以及很多其他心血管疾病。 启事 印第安那大学－印第安那波里普渡大学的Jesse C. Stewart博士对路透社健康频道的记者说，病人的精神状况不仅能影响其生活质量，而且可能对其心血管系统等身体状况有“很大影响”。以50-70岁的324名男性和女性为研究对象，Stewart及其同事评估了抑郁、焦虑、愤怒对于动脉粥样硬化症的影响。研究人员使用症状评分法评估抑郁、焦虑、愤怒，使用测量颈总动脉管壁厚度的影像学方法评价动脉粥样硬化的程度。颈总动脉位于颈部，其功能是向大脑供氧。作者写道，3年来的研究表明斑块形成与抑郁（症状）有相关性，而与焦虑和愤怒无相关性。 日常大量饮酒在很大程度上可促使斑块形成，但像左洛复，百忧解等5-羟色胺摄取抑制剂的抗抑郁药的服用斑块形成较少。研究人员认为“ 总的来说，我们的研究结果提示抑郁可能与动脉粥样硬化引发和进展有关，而焦虑和愤怒则无之无关。”Stewart补充说：“多种消极情感的深入研究可能促使消极情感中对心血管健康有害的个别特性被确定，而这样将可能促使针对消极情感的有害方面特异的和有效的治疗性干扰的出现。”