Severus W Emanuel
Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Department of Psychiatry, Munich, Germany.
Herz. 2006 Dec;31 Suppl 3:69-74.
Depression is characterised by depressed mood or/ and the loss of interest or pleasure in nearly all activities for a substantial period of time, causing significant distress. Depression is a potentially life-threatening disease. It is a major risk factor for suicide as well as coronary artery disease (CAD) and sudden cardiac death (SCD). It also may be associated with impaired endothelial dysfunction and decreased heart rate variability (HRV). Both conditions seem to persist in patients with depression despite successful antidepressant treatment. During the last few years epidemiological studies as well as clinical trials have suggested a significant role of omega-3 fatty acids in the pathogenesis of depression. As omega-3 fatty acids have been demonstrated to also beneficially influence many of the conditions depression is a risk factor for (CAD, SCD) or may be associated with (decreased HRV, endothelial dysfunction), they may well represent a major advance in the treatment of depression. However more large randomized clinical trials are clearly needed to substantiate that claim.
抑郁症的特征是情绪低落或/且在相当长的一段时间内几乎对所有活动都失去兴趣或愉悦感，从而导致严重的痛苦。抑郁症是一种潜在的危及生命的疾病。它是自杀以及冠状动脉疾病（CAD）和心源性猝死（SCD）的主要危险因素。它还可能与内皮功能障碍受损和心率变异性（HRV）降低有关。尽管进行了成功的抗抑郁治疗，但这两种情况在抑郁症患者中似乎仍然存在。在过去几年中，流行病学研究以及临床试验表明，ω-3脂肪酸在抑郁症的发病机制中具有重要作用。由于ω-3脂肪酸已被证明对抑郁症作为危险因素的许多疾病（CAD、SCD）或可能与之相关的疾病（HRV降低、内皮功能障碍）也有有益影响，它们很可能代表了抑郁症治疗的一项重大进展。然而，显然需要更多大型随机临床试验来证实这一说法。
