title: Vital exhaustion as risk indicator for myocardial infarction in women.
abstract: To test the hypothesis that 'vital exhaustion' (VE), a state characterized by unusual fatigue, increased irritability, and feelings of demoralization, precedes the onset of myocardial infarction (MI) in females, 79 females hospitalized with a first MI (mean age: 59.3; SD = 9.3) and 90 females hospitalized in the departments of general and orthopaedic surgery (mean age: 57.4; SD = 9.1), were compared on the retrospective form of the Maastricht Questionnaire (MQ). Defining 'exhaustion' as a score above the median of the MQ, 63% of the cases and 39% of the controls were exhausted before hospitalization (chi 2 = 10.02; p < 0.00). The relative risk associated with exhaustion, after controlling for age, smoking, coffee consumption, diabetes, hypertension, non-anginal pain, and menopausal status, was estimated as 2.75 (95% CI:I.28-5.81; p < 0.01), thus corroborating the hypothesis. Exploratory analyses of the origins of exhaustion in these females showed that of all biographical characteristics, holding a job and simultaneously taking care of the household was most strongly associated with elevated exhaustion scores.
authors.affiliation: Dept Medical Psychology, University of Limburg, Maastricht, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Appels
authors.forename: P R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Falger
authors.forename: E G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Schouten
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000787:Angina Pectoris / Q000523:psychology; D005221:Fatigue / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007508:Irritable Mood; D008019:Life Style; D005222:Mental Fatigue / Q000523:psychology*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009013:Morale; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000523:psychology*; D012307:Risk Factors; D012803:Sick Role