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Cardiovascular therapeutics: A new potential for anxiety treatment?
Kristina Repova1, Silvia Aziriova1, Kristina Krajcirovicova1
1Institute of Pathophysiology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University, Bratislava, Slovakia.
Insights
Cardiovascular health is linked to mental well-being. Certain heart medications may offer anxiety relief, improving patient outcomes and individualizing treatment for better cardiovascular care.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Psychiatry
- Pharmacology
Background:
- Emerging evidence links mental health conditions like anxiety and depression to increased cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.
- A bidirectional relationship exists where cardiovascular diseases can negatively impact mental and emotional health, creating a detrimental cycle.
- The pathophysiological basis may involve dysregulated neurohormonal and humoral systems affecting both cardiovascular and psychological states.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the interplay between cardiovascular disorders and mental health.
- To examine the effects of cardiovascular drugs on the mental state of patients with heart and vasculature disturbances.
- To optimize therapeutic benefits by considering the psychological impact of cardiovascular medications.
Main Methods:
- Review of existing literature on the psychological effects of cardiovascular drugs.
- Analysis of animal experiments and clinical settings evaluating drug impacts on mood and anxiety.
- Consideration of the bidirectional relationship between cardiovascular and psychological conditions.
Main Results:
- Several cardiovascular drug classes, including ACE inhibitors, ARBs, and certain beta-blockers, show potential anxiolytic effects.
- Statins and some beta-blockers exhibit mixed or equivocal impacts on mood and anxiety.
- Ivabradine demonstrated a neutral psychological effect in studies.
Conclusions:
- Understanding the psychological state of cardiovascular patients is crucial for effective treatment.
- Careful selection of cardiovascular drugs, considering their psychological benefits or harms, can enhance individualized patient care.
- Integrating mental health considerations into cardiovascular treatment strategies may improve overall patient outcomes.
Abstract:
Besides the well-recognized risk factors, novel conditions increasing cardiovascular morbidity and mortality are emerging. Undesirable emotions and behavior such as anxiety and depression, appear to participate in worsening cardiovascular pathologies. On the other hand, deteriorating conditions of the heart and vasculature result in disturbed mental and emotional health. The pathophysiological background of this bidirectional interplay could reside in an inappropriate activation of vegetative neurohormonal and other humoral systems in both cardiovascular and psychological disturbances. This results in circulus vitiosus potentiating mental and circulatory disorders. Thus, it appears to be of utmost importance to examine the alteration of emotions, cognition, and behavior in cardiovascular patients. In terms of this consideration, recognizing the potential of principal cardiovascular drugs to interact with the mental state in patients with heart or vasculature disturbances is unavoidable, to optimize their therapeutic benefit. In general, beta-blockers, central sympatholytics, ACE inhibitors, ARBs, aldosterone receptor blockers, sacubitril/valsartan, and fibrates are considered to exert anxiolytic effect in animal experiments and clinical settings. Statins and some beta-blockers appear to have an equivocal impact on mood and anxiety and ivabradine expressed neutral psychological impact. It seems reasonable to suppose that the knowledge of a patient's mood, cognition, and behavior, along with applying careful consideration of the choice of the particular cardiovascular drug and respecting its potential psychological benefit or harm might improve the individualized approach to the treatment of cardiovascular disorders.
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