Abstract: ObjectiveTo explore the risk factors of depression in patients with coronary heart disease(CHD).MethodsA case-control study was conducted in ten general hospitals of three cities in Ningxia province.Totally 230 CHD patients with depression and 230 nondepressive patients were recruited.Face-to-face interview was used in data collection with a self-designed questionnaire.ResultsAmong CHD patients with depression,74.8% (n=172)experienced negative life events compared with 56.5% (n=130)of the controls during the previous year.17.3% (n=39)of the cases experienced losing parents in childhood compared with 10.4% (n=24)of the controls.There were significant differences between two groups(all P<0.05).Multivariate logistic regression confirmed that the education level(odds ratioOR=0.579,95% confidence intervalCI=0.426-0.786),negative life events(OR=2.276,95% CI=1.084-4.777)and social support (OR=0.875,95% CI=0.822-0.932)were related to depression.ConclusionLower education level,experience of negative life event and poor social support were important risk factors of depression in patients with CHD.