title: Illness Perception Profiles and Their Association with 10-Year Survival Following Cardiac Valve Replacement.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of the present study was to examine whether profiles of illness perceptions are associated with 10-year survival following cardiac valve replacement surgery.
  
  
  METHODS
  Illness perceptions were evaluated in 204 cardiac patients awaiting first-time valve replacement and again 1 year post-operatively using cluster analysis. All-cause mortality was recorded over a 10-year period. At 1 year, 136 patients were grouped into one of four profiles (stable positive, stable negative, changed from positive to negative, changed from negative to positive).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The median follow-up was 3063 days (78 deaths). After controlling for clinical covariates, including markers of function, patients who changed illness perceptions from positive to negative beliefs 1 year post-surgery had an increased mortality risk (hazard ratio (HR) = 3.2, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2-8.3, p = .02) compared to patients who held positive stable perceptions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Following cardiac valve replacement, developing negative illness perceptions over the first post-operative year predicts long-term mortality. Early screening and intervention to alter this pattern of beliefs may be beneficial.
authors.affiliation: Health Psychology Section, Psychology Department, Institute of Psychiatry, King's College London, 5th Floor Bermondsey Wing, Guy's Campus, London Bridge, London, SE19RT, UK.
authors.forename: Jacob
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Crawshaw
authors.forename: Helen
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Rimington
authors.forename: John
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weinman
authors.forename: Joseph
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Chilcot
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000339:Affect; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001294:Attitude to Health; D005260:Female; D006351:Heart Valves / Q000637:transplantation*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016019:Survival Analysis; D066027:Transplant Recipients / Q000523:psychology*