Vital exhaustion as a risk factor of myocardial infarction: a case-control study in Venezuela

In this study, 32 first myocardial infarction (MI) cases and 42 healthy controls were compared with respect to vital exhaustion (VE), a state characterized by loss of energy, increased irritability, and feelings of demoralization. This state has been found to precede the onset of cardiac events. Participants also responded to questionnaires on Type A behavior, anger expression (Anger In, Anger Out, and Anger Control), and positive and negative self-concept. Results showed that VE discriminated well between MI patients and controls (Odds Ratio [OR] = 15.42, 95% confidence interval = 3.92-60.67) even when controlling for age, smoking, and exercise. The odds ratio decreased to 12.34 when controlling for socioeconomic status. Groups also differed in Anger In but not in Anger Control, Anger Out, negative or positive self-concept. Anger In was correlated to VE in all participants pointing to the relevance of withholding emotions in relation to exhaustion. Exhaustion was strongly associated with negative self-concept in the MI cases group only but significantly discriminated between cases and controls when adjusted for negative self-concept. Summarizing, the results show that, as has previously been found in other countries, in Venezuela VE is a precursor of MI.