Type A behavior and mortality from coronary heart disease.

Area of Science:

• Cardiology
• Behavioral Medicine
• Epidemiology

Background:

• The relationship between behavioral patterns (Type A vs. Type B) and coronary heart disease (CHD) outcomes remains controversial.
• Previous studies have yielded conflicting results regarding the impact of behavior type on CHD morbidity and mortality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between behavior type (Type A or Type B) and subsequent CHD mortality in male patients.
• To determine if Type A behavior pattern influences long-term survival rates after a CHD event.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of survival data from 257 male CHD patients in the Western Collaborative Group Study.
• Behavior type was assessed via structured interview prior to the CHD event.
• Survival analysis, including proportional-hazards models, controlled for confounding variables.

Main Results:

• Among 231 patients surviving the initial 24 hours post-event, Type A patients exhibited a lower CHD mortality rate (19.1/1000 person-years) than Type B patients (31.7/1000 person-years).
• Survival analysis revealed a significantly lower relative CHD mortality rate for Type A compared to Type B patients (hazard ratio 0.58, P=0.03).
• This protective association for Type A behavior was observed across age subgroups and was more pronounced in symptomatic myocardial infarction cases.

Conclusions:

• Patients with coronary heart disease and a Type A behavior pattern do not appear to be at increased risk for subsequent CHD mortality.
• The findings suggest a potentially protective effect of Type A behavior on long-term survival post-CHD, warranting further investigation.