Antidepressant (AD) treatment in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients suffering from depression results in significant therapeutic effects without substantially increased rates of discontinuation, a new study has concluded.

According to the Canadian researchers, depression can occur in up to 45 per cent of patients with CAD, where it is associated with an increased risk of acute coronary events and mortality.

The team from Toronto performed a meta-analysis of randomised, placebo-controlled, double-blind trials with a database search of the English literature (to March 2008) and manual search of references.

The study, based on a database of more than 200,000 Quebec residents aged 65 and older, showed statistical relationships between a diagnosis of cataracts or cataract surgery and the class of drugs called selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs), as well as between cataracts and specific drugs within that class.

The researchers say that the study does not prove causation but only reveals an association between the use of SSRIs and the development of cataracts.