External factors show reproducible local symptom-biomarker associations in middle-aged and older adults with heart disease

Category	Detail
Condition	Depression in older adults with heart disease
Key Mechanisms	Joint depressive symptom-biomarker network influenced by multimorbidity burden, caregiving status, and sex
Target Population	Middle-aged and older adults with heart disease
Care Setting	Clinical settings involving heart disease management

Study analyzed 1,685 participants from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study and 506 from an independent hospital cohort.
External factors associated with heterogeneous local patterns in the depressive symptom-biomarker network.
Depressed mood showed the highest centrality among symptom nodes across both cohorts.
Multimorbidity burden had the broadest patterns, while caregiving status showed weaker, localized patterns.
Sex differences were most reproducible, particularly with biomarkers like HDL cholesterol and triglycerides.

Assess depressive symptoms in the context of multimorbidity and external factors.

Integrate external factors and biomarkers in characterizing depressive heterogeneity.

Monitor symptom-biomarker associations regularly to understand individual patient profiles.

Consider the impact of caregiving status and multimorbidity on depression outcomes.

Older adults with heart disease experiencing depressive symptoms.

Focus on personalized approaches considering external factors and biomarkers.

Utilize a symptom-biomarker network approach for assessing depression.
Incorporate patient-specific factors such as sex and caregiving status in treatment plans.
Regularly evaluate the impact of multimorbidity on depressive symptoms.