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Relation of statin therapy to psychological functioning in patients with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator

Madelein T Hoogwegt1, Dominic A M J Theuns, Nina Kupper

  • 1CoRPS-Center of Research on Psychology in Somatic diseases, Tilburg University, Tilburg, The Netherlands.

The American Journal of Cardiology
|January 31, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Statin therapy in cardiovascular patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) was linked to reduced physical and emotional well-being. This study highlights potential impacts on quality of life, warranting further investigation.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Psychosomatic Medicine
  • Health Outcomes Research

Background:

  • Statin therapy is crucial for secondary cardiovascular disease prevention.
  • Potential side effects of statins may impact patient quality of life.
  • Limited data exists on statin effects on well-being in cardiac patients, especially those with implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the association between statin therapy and health status, including anxiety and depression symptoms, in ICD patients.
  • To analyze the influence of statin type and dosage on patient well-being post-implantation.
  • To assess changes in health status over 12 months following ICD implantation.

Main Methods:

  • A cohort of 409 ICD patients (78.2% male) was studied.
  • Patients completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale and the SF-36 Health Survey at baseline and 3, 6, and 12 months post-implantation.
  • Data were analyzed using general linear mixed modeling for repeated measures.

Main Results:

  • 60% of patients were prescribed statins.
  • Statin use was independently associated with poorer physical role limitations, social functioning, and emotional role limitations (p < 0.01).
  • Borderline significant associations were found between statin therapy and depression (p=0.06) and physical functioning (p=0.05); no association with anxiety (p>0.05).

Conclusions:

  • Statin therapy in ICD patients is associated with impaired health status in specific domains of the SF-36.
  • This is the first study to examine statin therapy's impact on well-being in ICD patients.
  • Further research is needed to confirm these findings and explore clinical implications.

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