The results of a small US study suggest that the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor sertraline is safe and effective for treating depression in heart attack patients. Dr Alexander Glassman of the New York State Psychiatric Institute in New York compared the effects of sertraline and a placebo in 369 depressed patients who had been admitted to hospital for a heart attack or unstable angina. About 67 per cent of patients responded to the drug while 53 per cent of patients taking a placebo showed an improvement. Depression can interfere with recovery and increase the odds of dying.
(Reuters Health Online 14/08/02)

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