The Association Between Measures of Inflammation and Psychological Factors Associated with an Increased Risk of Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease: Hostility, Anger and Depressed Mood and Symptoms
Inflammation is acknowledged as a risk factor for the onset and development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). This has led some to hypothesize that inflammation is a possible mechanism that may mediate, in part, the relation of CVD to factors associated with increased CVD risk-hostility, anger, and depression. This chapter reviews the empirical evidence of the associations between biomarkers of inflammation and hostility, anger and depression, alone and in combination. Before doing so, I present a brief description and review of the role of inflammation in disease development and the methods used to measure inflammation at point-of-care and in research laboratories. Lastly, I review preliminary data suggesting that gender and adiposity may potentially mediate and moderate the relationship between depression and inflammation.
