Background/aims: Depression is associated with an increased risk for stroke. The aim of this study was to examine whether demographic and socioeconomic factors modify this association.
Methods: This follow-up study comprised 137 305 men and 188 924 women aged ≥30 years from a nationwide sample of primary healthcare centres in Sweden. We identified 4718 first-ever stroke cases (2217 men and 2501 women) during the follow-up period (2005-2007). Multilevel logistic regression models were used to calculate ORs and examine interactions in order to determine whether the association between depression and stroke differs by demographic or socioeconomic factors.
Results: Depression was associated with significantly greater odds of stroke after adjustment for potential confounding factors (OR=1.22, 95% CI 1.08 to 1.38). Interaction tests showed that the effect of depression on stroke was higher in men compared with women (the difference in OR between men and women was 1.30, 95% CI 1.01 to 1.68), that is, the association between depression and stroke was modified by gender.
Conclusions: Our findings suggest that the depression-stroke association is modified by gender. Further studies are required to examine the underlying mechanisms in men and women.
Keywords: DEPRESSION; EPIDEMIOLOGY; STROKE.
Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.