[Psychiatric syndromes associated with atypical chest pain].

BACKGROUND/AIM: Chest pain often indicates coronary disease, but in 25% of patients there is no evidence of ischemic heart disease using standard diagnostic tests. Beside that, cardiologic examinations are repeated several times for months. If other medical causes could not be found, there is a possibility that chest pain is a symptom of psychiatric disorder. The aim of this study was to determine the presence of psychiatric syndromes, increased somatization, anxiety, stress life events exposure and characteristic of chest pain expression in persons with atypical chest pain and coronary patients, as well as to define predictive parameters for atypical chest pain. METHOD: We compared 30 patients with atypical chest pain (E group) to 30 coronary patients (K group), after cardiological and psychiatric evaluation. We have applied: Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interiview (MINI), The Symptom Checklist 90-R (SCL-90 R), Beck Anxiety Invetory (BAI), Holms-Rahe Scale of stress life events (H-R), Questionnaire for pain expression Pain-O-Meter (POM). Significant differences between groups and predictive value of the parameters for atypical chest pain were determined. RESULTS: The E group participants compared to the group K were younger (33.4 +/- 5.4: 48.3 +/- 6,4 years, p < 0.001), had a moderate anxiety level (20.4 +/- 11.9: 9.6 +/- 3.8, p < 0.001), panic and somatiform disorders were present in the half of the E group, as well as eleveted somatization score (SOM > or = 63-50%: 10%, p < 0.01) and a higher H-R score level (102.0 +/- 52.2: 46.5 +/- 55.0, p < 0.001). Pain was mild, accompanied with panic. The half of the E group subjects had somatoform and panic disorders. CONCLUSION: Somatoform and panic disorders are associated with atypical chest pain. Pain expression is mild, accompained with panic. Predictive factors for atypical chest pain are: age under 40, anxiety level >20, somatization > or =63, presence of panic and somatoform disorders, H-R score >102, and a lack of positive diagnostic test of coronary disease. Defining of these parameters could be useful for early psychiatric evaluation of persons with atypical chest pain.

[Influence of psychological and coronary parameters on coronary patient rehospitalization].

INTRODUCTION: Psychological reactions are often comorbid with coronary risk factors and could be important for a six-month outcome. OBJECTIVE: Determination of anxiety level, depression and aggression, persistence of risk health behaviour, stress life events, and coronary risk factors after coronary event and a predictive value of those parameters for six-month rehospitalization. METHODS: In the group with Angina Pectoris (E1=30) and the group with Acute Myocardial Infarction (E2=33), there were applied, at baseline and after 6 months, the following: Semistructured Clinical Interview based on ICD-10, for depressive episode and anxiety disorder, Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA), Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD), KON-6 sigma Scale for aggression, Holms-Rahe Scale (H-R) for stress events and Questionnaire for risk behaviour: alcohol consumption, smoking, lack of physical activity. Group differences were assessed by t-test and chi-square test, p < 0.05, regression analysis for assessing initial variables, a predictive value for six-month rehospitalization. RESULTS: After acute coronary event, the anxiety and depression levels were mild and aggression was low in E1 and mild in E2. Stress event score was significantly higher in E2 (H-R = 115.18) than in E1 (H-R = 72.20), p < 0.05. After 6 months, the results were the same except for a significantly lower stress event score in E1 (H-R = 49.48), and in E2 (H-R = 91.65), but still significantly higher than in El. Coronary parameters were reduced, smokers' rate was increased in El. Alcohol consumption, hypercholesterolaemia and hereditary tendency were predictive for six- month rehospitalization. CONCLUSION: After acute cardiac event, hospitalized coronary patients had a mild anxiety, depression and aggression level as well as after six months. The infarct patients had experienced more stress life events in the previous year than the angina patients. Risk health behaviour did not change in the following six months, with the increased smokers' rate in the angina group. Alcohol consumption, smoking and heredity were predictive for rehospitalization.