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Chest pain and behavior in suspected coronary artery disease
L D Young1, J J Barboriak, A J Anderson
1General Hospital Psychiatry, Milwaukee.
Insights
Patients with chest pain show distinct behavioral and emotional patterns. Assessing fatigue, attitudes, and eating habits may help identify individuals who could benefit from non-cardiac treatments.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology and Behavioral Medicine
- Psychosomatic Medicine in Cardiovascular Disease
Background:
- Coronary artery disease (CAD) diagnosis often involves assessing chest pain, but behavioral and emotional factors are also crucial.
- Understanding the interplay between psychological states, lifestyle, and cardiac symptoms is vital for comprehensive patient care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate behavioral activity, dietary habits, and emotional variables in male patients suspected of having coronary disease.
- To differentiate patient cohorts presenting with angina pectoris, atypical chest pain, and no chest pain.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of questionnaire responses from 3,899 employed male patients undergoing coronary arteriography.
- Comparison of psychological, fatigue, and dietary variables across patient groups with different chest pain presentations.
Main Results:
- Angina pectoris patients exhibited high coronary-prone attitudes, neuroticism, and significant fatigue symptoms.
- Atypical chest pain patients shared similar attitudes but had lower coronary occlusion and less fatigue.
- Atypical chest pain patients were more prone to skipping breakfast and eating rapidly.
Conclusions:
- Behavioral, emotional, and dietary assessments may offer supplementary value in evaluating chest pain patients.
- Findings suggest potential for identifying patients who might benefit from alternative, non-cardiac treatment approaches.
Abstract:
This study assessed behavioral activity, dietary and emotional variables among patient cohorts with angina pectoris, atypical chest pain, and no chest pain in whom coronary disease is suspected. Questionnaire responses of 3,899 employed male patients at the time of coronary arteriography were analyzed. Patients with angina pectoris had high levels of coronary-prone and neurotic attitudes, and fatigue variables including feeling unrested on awakening, easy fatiguability, reducing activity at work and arriving home tired. Atypical chest pain patients showed coronary-prone and neurotic attitudes similar to the angina pectoris group but had less coronary occlusion and lower levels of fatigue variables. Compared to the other groups, atypical chest pain patients were more likely to skip breakfast and showed a trend to eat fast. These findings suggest that including assessment of activity levels, fatiguability, eating behavior, neurotic traits and coronary-prone attitudes at time of coronary arteriography can have some limited value for patients with chest pain who may seek cardiac treatment but could benefit from alternative approaches.