Depression and clinical inertia in patients with uncontrolled hypertension.

Depression is a known risk factor for poor prognosis among patients with cardiovascular disease1. Numerous biological and behavioral mechanisms have been proposed2. However, few studies have investigated the association between depression and ‘clinical inertia’, or lack of treatment intensification in individuals not at evidence-based goals for care3. To address this gap, we assessed whether a diagnosis of depression is associated with clinical inertia in patients with uncontrolled hypertension.