Cardiovascular health and physical fitness in psychiatric inpatients with depression and burnout: An observational study on status and change during inpatient treatment

Depression and burnout are linked to a higher risk for the development of cardiovascular diseases. Physical activity has the potential to enhance prognosis of cardiovascular diseases and improve depression and burnout symptoms. Understanding cardiovascular and physical fitness status and changes during treatment may help identify therapeutic targets for patients with stress-related disorders. This study investigated 153 inpatients (aged 27–64 years, 88 female) diagnosed with burnout syndrome and either depressive episode or adjustment disorder undergoing an up to 8-week psychiatric treatment. Assessments of blood pressure, pulse wave velocity, cardiorespiratory fitness, hand grip and leg strength, as well as balance were performed at baseline and discharge. Symptom severity was rated with the Shirom-Melamed-Burnout-Measure and Beck Depression Inventory II. Multiple regression analyses indicated little evidence for associations between baseline burnout and blood pressure, pulse wave velocity, as well as cardiorespiratory fitness. Depression severity (mean difference = -12.6 points, 95% CI [-13.9, -11.4], p < .001), cardiorespiratory fitness (mean difference = 3.0 mL/kg/min, 95% CI [1.7, 4.3], p < .001) and leg strength (mean difference = 0.8 s, 95% CI [0.6, 1.0], p < .001) improved from baseline to discharge. Analyses provided little evidence for associations between changes in depression and discharge cardiovascular or physical fitness components, apart from a non-linear association with pulse wave velocity. Our findings suggest that improvements in depressive symptoms and physical fitness may occur in parallel. Increased cardiorespiratory fitness is clinically relevant given its role in reducing long-term cardiovascular risk, highlighting the importance of physical activity in treatment.