Alexithymia and Cardiac Outcome in Patients at First Acute Coronary Syndrome
Paolo Ossola1, Maria Lidia Gerra2, Marco Beltrani1
1Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
Insights
Incident depression, not alexithymia, significantly increases the risk of recurrent cardiac events in acute coronary syndrome patients. This finding highlights depression as a key factor for major adverse cardiac events (MACE).
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Psychiatry
- Psychosomatic Medicine
Background:
- Investigated alexithymia as a potential risk factor for major adverse cardiac events (MACE) in first-time acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients.
- Compared alexithymia levels in ACS patients versus healthy controls (HC).
- Assessed the predictive value of alexithymia for MACE during a 24-month follow-up.
Purpose of the Study:
- To determine if first-time acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients exhibit higher alexithymia levels than healthy controls (HC).
- To ascertain if alexithymia predisposes coronary artery disease patients to new major adverse cardiac events (MACE).
Main Methods:
- A cohort study involving 100 healthy controls (HC) and 304 first-time acute coronary syndrome (ACS) patients.
- Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) was used for assessment.
- Follow-up of 266 patients for 2 years to monitor incident depression and MACE.
Main Results:
- No significant difference in Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) scores was found between patients and HC.
- During follow-up, 22.69% of patients developed incident depression, and 18.75% experienced a new MACE.
- Incident depression, not alexithymia, was associated with a nearly threefold increased risk of recurrent cardiac events.
Conclusions:
- Incident depression, rather than alexithymia (TAS-20 scores), is a significant risk factor for major adverse cardiac events (MACE).
- Early identification and management of depression are crucial for preventing recurrent cardiac events in ACS patients.
Background:
This cohort study was aimed to verify whether subjects at their first acute coronary syndrome (ACS) were more alexithymic than healthy controls (HC) and whether alexithymia can predispose patients with coronary artery disease to new major adverse cardiac events (MACE) during a 24-month follow-up period.
Methods:
The sample included 100 HC with no history of depression or ACS and 304 never depressed patients with a first-ever ACS. A total of 266 patients completed the 2-year follow-up.
Results:
Patients and HC reported similar Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20) scores. During the follow-up, 69 (22.69%) patients developed incident depression and 57 (18.75%) developed a new MACE. In a proportional hazard model, developing a first-ever depressive episode, but not alexithymia (hazard ratio = 1.008, 95% confidence interval = 0.984-1.033; p = 0.500), was associated with almost 3 times the risk of a recurrent cardiac event.
Conclusion:
Incident depression, but not TAS-20 scores, represented risk factor for MACE.
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