title: Psychological distress as a predictor of ventricular arrhythmias in a post-myocardial infarction population.
abstract: A prospective study examining the relationship between psychological distress and ventricular ectopy was conducted with 125 post-myocardial infarction patients equipped with a transtelephonic ECG monitor. Subjects were subsequently grouped according to the occurrence (n = 59) or nonoccurrence (n = 65) of ventricular arrhythmias over a 1-year period. Results indicated a direct relationship between self-reported distress levels and occurrence of ectopic beats. This relationship was unaltered by adjusting simultaneously for known predictors of arrhythmias, including cardiac risk, age, and the prescription of beta-blocker agents. Thus this study represents an initial demonstration in a post-myocardial infarction population that psychosocial factors have prognostic significance for arrhythmias and, presumably, sudden death.
authors.affiliation: Brown University/Miriam Hospital, Providence, RI 02906.
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Follick
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Gorkin
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Capone
authors.forename: T W
authors.initials: TW
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.forename: D K
authors.initials: DK
authors.lastname: Ahern
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Stablein
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Niaura
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Visco
mesh_terms: D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000523:psychology*; D003645:Death, Sudden / Q000453:epidemiology; D004562:Electrocardiography / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods; D006352:Heart Ventricles; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000295:instrumentation; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications / Q000523:psychology*; D010555:Personality Inventory; D011379:Prognosis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012044:Regression Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D013689:Telephone / Q000295:instrumentation / Q000379:methods