# The Association between Aortic Valve Stenosis and a Subsequent Diagnosis of Depression in Germany

## TL;DR

This study found no significant link between aortic valve stenosis and depression in German outpatient populations.

## Contribution

It provides population-level evidence from Germany on the psychological impact of aortic valve stenosis.

## Key findings

- 20.6% of AS patients were diagnosed with depression compared to 20.0% in the matched cohort.
- No significant association was found between AS and depression (HR: 1.03; 95% CI: 0.96–1.11).
- The lack of association was consistent across different age and sex groups.

## Abstract

Background/Objectives: Aortic valve stenosis (AS) represents one of the most common valve diseases in the western world. It often leads to severe symptoms that can lead to a restriction of everyday life and thus to psychological stress. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the association between AS and depression in outpatients in Germany. Methods: The IQVIATM Disease Analyzer database was used to identify 14,681 individuals with non-rheumatic AS (ICD-10: I35.0 or I35.2). They were propensity score matched (1:1) based on age, sex, average yearly consultation frequency during the follow-up, and co-diagnoses to 14,681 patients without AS. Cox regression models were used to analyze the association between aortic stenosis and depression. Results: Within the follow-up period of up to 10 years, depression was diagnosed in 20.6% of AS patients compared to 20.0% in the matched cohort (p = 0.351). In the regression analysis, we were not able to discover an association between AS and a subsequent diagnosis of depression (HR: 1.03; 95% CI: 0.96–1.11). This effect was consistent among different age and sex groups. Conclusions: In the broad population of patients treated outside of hospital settings in Germany, AS was not associated with a higher incidence of depression.