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[Psychiatric syndromes associated with atypical chest pain]

Gordana Nikolić1, Ivan Tasić, Snezana Manojlović

  • 1Klinicki centar Nis, Klinika za zastitu mentalnog zdravlja, Nis, Srbija. gordanani@gmail.com

Vojnosanitetski Pregled
|August 17, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Atypical chest pain is often linked to psychiatric conditions like somatoform and panic disorders, not just heart disease. Identifying specific patient factors can aid in early psychiatric evaluation for these cases.

Area of Science:

  • Psychiatry
  • Cardiology
  • Psychosomatic Medicine

Context:

  • Chest pain is a common symptom, but in a significant portion of patients, standard cardiac tests do not reveal ischemic heart disease.
  • Repeated cardiologic examinations over extended periods are common for patients with unexplained chest pain.
  • When other medical causes are ruled out, psychiatric disorders become a potential explanation for chest pain.

Purpose:

  • To investigate the prevalence of psychiatric syndromes, somatization, anxiety, and stress in patients with atypical chest pain compared to coronary patients.
  • To characterize the expression of chest pain in individuals with atypical presentations.
  • To identify predictive parameters for distinguishing atypical chest pain from cardiac causes.

Summary:

  • Patients with atypical chest pain were younger and exhibited higher levels of anxiety and somatization compared to coronary patients.
  • Half of the atypical chest pain group presented with panic and somatoform disorders, with mild pain often accompanied by panic.
  • Elevated scores on stress scales (H-R) were also noted in the atypical chest pain group.

Impact:

  • The findings suggest a strong association between somatoform/panic disorders and atypical chest pain.
  • Predictive factors for atypical chest pain include younger age, elevated anxiety and somatization scores, presence of specific psychiatric disorders, and high stress levels.
  • Early psychiatric evaluation, guided by these parameters, can improve diagnosis and management for patients with unexplained chest pain.
Abstract

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