ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: In some studies, the involvement of dangerous psychological and behavioral factors in etiology and physiotherapy of vascular disturbances have been shown. In other studies, the relationship between the personality type and increase in cardiovascular disease has been demonstrated. The type D personality is defined as having two characteristics of negative affect and social inhibition. It is thought that individuals with type D personality are at increased risk of carotid artery intima-media thickening which predisposes them to vascular disease that is one of the most important factors for the stroke. In this study, we try to determine whether type D personality is a contributing factor to an increase in the intima-media of the carotid artery. This study was done in 2012 in the teaching hospital of Alzahra in Isfahan Iran. METHODS: This is a case/control study which is done at Alzahra hospital in Isfahan in 2011-12. The statistical population in this study is composed of individuals who do not have any risk factors for stroke and are randomly selected among the hospital staff or the patient's family members who accompanied the patient at the hospital. They filled out a questioner that would assist in detecting type D personality. A carotid Doppler ultrasound that measures the intima-media thickness in the selected individuals was performed. The information obtained from the study was evaluated by Statistical Product and Service Solutions (SPSS) software and the intima-media thicknesses were compared in two groups of patients. RESULTS: The average thickness of intima media in two groups, consist of placebo and patients, was 0.739 ± 0.12 and 0.759 ± 0.14 millimeter, respectively. There was no meaningful difference between the two groups based on t-test values (P = 0.19). It is important to note that based on the results, 22.9% of placebos and 48.6% of individuals with type D personality presented with abnormal thickness. The difference between the two groups were meaningful based on Chi-Squared test (P = 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that type D personality increases the risk of cardiovascular diseases specially the stroke and myocardial infarction due to the higher prevalence of hormonal imbalances leading to arterial vasospasm and atherosclerotic disease. As a result, it is necessary to evaluate and treat these patients due to increased risk of atherosclerotic diseases, stoke, and myocardial infarction.
ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: University entrance is accompanied by major changes in social relationship, rules, and expectations that lead to psychological disorders in susceptible students. The goal of this research is to study the anxiety rate in Iranian medical residents in 2010-2011. METHODS: This study is a cross-sectional, descriptive study. It contains 370 medical residents from the 1(st) year to the 4(th) year of medical universities in Isfahan, Gilan, Zahedan, Sanandaj, and Kashan. The stratified sampling method proportionate to volume of participants is used in this study. The information is collected based on researchers' questioners and Zung self-rating anxiety scale and analyzed with the use of spss software version 16, addition to descriptive and analytic tests (Pearson, one-way analysis of variance, t-test). Meaningful level is regarded as P ≤ 0.05. RESULTS: The study showed that more than 92% of residents participated in the study did not demonstrate anxiety. Among 370 subjects 5.5% presented with mild symptoms of anxiety and no one had symptom of severe anxiety. A meaningful statistical relationship was observed between anxiety and sex, major of study and the city of study (P < 0.05). The results showed a positive meaningful relationship between the number of visits and the score of anxiety. On average the number of night floats were two in 1 week and the number of patient visit was 19 in the past 24 h. A meaningful statistical relationship between anxiety score and number of patient visits was observed. CONCLUSIONS: The anxiety rate in medical students in this study compared to the findings of previous studies reveled very low anxiety in medical residents. The low rate of anxiety could be attributed to the sense of job security and the hope for a better future among residents. The high percentage of anxiolytics abuse and absence of anxiety producing factors among residents in addition to inaccurate response to the questionnaire may all contribute to the low rate of anxiety in this study.
