Introduction & Objective: Despite the high prevalence of depression and hypertension, the relationship between these disorders has received little attention. Some prospective studies indicate that depression poses a risk factor for hypertension. Depression has been found to be associated with an increased risk of developing cardiovascular diseases. The present study was conducted to examine the prevalence of depression in hypertensive patients' refering to medical and health centers in Hamadan city.

Materials & Methods: In a descriptive cross-sectional study 525 hypertensive patients who referred to the medical and health centers of Hamadan city in 2008 were studied. Depression status was evaluated by Beck depression inventory. Obtaining a score higher than 18 indicated depression. The data were analyzed with SPSS software(version 10) , chi-square and parson regression coefficient tests.

Results: Depression prevalence in the hypertensive patients was 48.6%. Positive correlation was detected between age and score of depression(r=0.56 P.V=0.000). The rate of depression was significantly higher in the females than the males (c2=34 P.V=<0.5). Depression prevalence in the lower socioeconomic classes and the widows were higher than in the married and high class patients (P.V<0.05). Conclusion: Hypertensive patients are prone to depression. The lifetime co- morbidity of two diseases is significantly higher in females than males. The presence of a positive correlation between hypertension and depression indicates that hypertension is a risk factor for developing depression .High prevalence of depression suggests the need for depression screening and neurological consultation in hypertensive patients.