Interoception as a Mechanism Linking Anxiety, Cardiovascular Disease, and their Co-Occurrence

This review summarizes current research on interoception in cardiovascular disease (CVD), highlights the clinical implications of interoceptive processes in CVD management, and provides recommendations for prescribing symptom monitoring based on findings.

Compared to healthy controls, individuals with CVD demonstrate low actual interoceptive accuracy and high perceived interoceptive attention, though more rigorous methodology is needed. This interoceptive profile, particularly high interoceptive attention, has also been recently found to be predictive of health anxiety. Though interoception research has primarily utilized cardiac-based measurements, there is a dearth of research examining interoception in individuals with CVD. Research that has been conducted in this population has found that individuals with CVD show interoceptive profiles that might increase risk of health anxiety, though more work is needed. We recommend that providers give specific instructions for symptom monitoring (e.g., duration, method, signs to seek medical attention) to minimize uncertainty during CVD management.