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Anxiety and depression symptoms in chest pain patients referred for the exercise stress test
Atoosheh Rohani1, Vahid Akbari, Fahimeh Zarei
1Department of Internal Medicine, Yasouj University of Medical Sciences, Motahari St, Yasouj, Iran.
Insights
Anxiety and depressive symptoms are common in chest pain patients undergoing stress tests. Identifying anxiety history may help diagnose women with angina and lower coronary artery disease risk.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Psychiatry
- Clinical Medicine
Background:
- Chest pain is a key indicator of coronary artery disease (CAD), often leading to cardiology referrals.
- Patients referred for stress tests due to chest pain may have underlying psychological distress.
- Prevalence of anxiety and depression in this specific patient group requires investigation.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine the prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms in patients referred for stress testing.
- To explore the relationship between these symptoms and stress test results.
- To identify potential differences in symptom presentation between genders.
Main Methods:
- A study of 250 consecutive outpatients with chest pain referred for stress testing.
- Utilized the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) for symptom assessment.
- Data collected from April 2010 to November 2010 at a government cardiology clinic.
Main Results:
- Anxiety symptom prevalence was 42%; depressive symptom prevalence was 31%.
- Females reported more anxiety symptoms, while males with abnormal tests showed depression.
- Patients with negative stress tests had higher anxiety and depression scores than those with positive tests.
Conclusions:
- Anxiety and depression are highly prevalent in chest pain patients undergoing stress tests.
- Gender and stress test results correlate with symptom presentation.
- Assessing anxiety history could aid in identifying women with angina at lower CAD risk.
Introduction:
As chest pain is an important symptom of coronary artery disease (CAD), the presentation of the symptom often prompts referral to a cardiologist for further investigation. The aim of the present study is to determine the prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms in patients referred to a cardiology outpatient clinic for performing the stress test.
Patients And Methods:
Two hundred and fifty consecutive outpatients referred for evaluation of chest pain by the stress test at a government cardiology clinic from April 2010 to November 2010 were asked to participate in the study. We estimated the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms, as assessed by the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, in a sample of patients with chest pain.
Results:
The prevalence of anxiety and depressive symptoms was estimated to be 42% and 31%, respectively, in the total chest pain population. Males with abnormal test were depressed but females experienced more anxiety symptoms. Patients with negative tests had significantly higher scores for anxiety and higher depression scores than those with positive tests. Eleven percent of the patients with positive tests were women and 23% were men.
Conclusion:
Determining a patient's anxiety disorder history may assist the clinician in identifying, especially, women with angina who are at a lower risk of underlying CAD.
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