Prinzmetal's angina and emotions: A neglected psychosomatic entity.

Prinzmetal's angina, a form of angina precipitated by vasoconstriction or spasm, appears to be a somatic phenomenon, but there is evidence, from research and case reports, of a major psychological component. In this study, individuals with Prinzmetal's angina were interviewed to determine the nature of their interpersonal relationships and their intrapsychic state at the time of onset of their chest pain. In addition, short developmental histories were obtained. The authors found that onset of chest pain was related to experiencing intense affect, and multiple levels of interpersonal and intrapsychic conflict, with strong conscious and unconscious, emotional and ideational links to previous traumas.

[The relation of physical and mental stress to magnesium deficiency in patients with variant angina].

In this study we assessed the role of psychological factor in the etiology of coronary vasospasm using the Cornell Medical Index (CMI), focusing attention on the relationship between stress and serum magnesium (Mg). The study subjects consisted of 25 patients with variant angina (VA), 32 with old myocardial infarction without vasospasm (OMI), and 34 healthy men (controls). On a neurosis-discriminative diagram of CMI, areas I and II were considered as normal and areas III and IV were considered to be a neurotic disorder. The stress test included exercise and a quiz. Exercise test was performed in 8 patients with VA, 6 with OMI, and 5 controls, and a quiz was given to 4 patients with VA. Plasma catecholamines [noradrenaline (NA), adrenaline (Ad), dopamine], aldosterone, adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH) and serum electrolytes (Mg, Ca, Na, K, Cl) were measured before and after exposures to stress. The following results were obtained: 1) Of the patients with VA, 40.0% were categorized as area III or IV, compared to 18.7% of the patients with OMI, and 2.9% of the control subjects. 2) Among patients with VA, 64.0% exhibited anxiety states compatible with a psychological disorder. 3) NA and Ad were increased after exercise stress. 4) Serum Mg and Ca were also increased after exposure to exercise stress in all groups, and the degrees of these changes were correlated to the exercise intensity. The %delta Mg/%delta NA ratio, a parameter of the effect of catecholamine on the serum Mg, was greater in patients with VA than in those with OMI and the controls.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Panic disorder in cardiology patients.

This paper reviews current evidence from several cardiology populations that suggests panic disorder is prevalent and underdiagnosed. Cardiology patients with atypical angina and no heart disease have a high likelihood of having panic disorder as suggested by studies of two separate cardiology populations. That they resemble psychiatric populations with panic is suggested by their positive response to alprazolam. Although evidence is less clear concerning the relationship between MVP and panic, it appears that patients referred to ECHO and found to have MVP are also likely to have panic. Three other populations deserving further study are patients with 1) pacemaker syndrome, 2) coronary artery disease with atypical angina and 3) certain arrhythmias.

[Psychological background as a risk factor of variant angina].

In this study, the role of psychological make-up was assessed as a risk factor in the etiology of vasospasm in variant angina (VA) using the Cornell Medical Index (CMI). Study subjects consisted of 15 patients with VA; 32 with effort angina or old myocardial infarction having no vasospasm (EA + OMI); and 34 healthy men. For a neurosis discriminative diagram, the areas I and II were judged as normal and the areas III and IV were judged compatible with a neurotic disorder. Correlation of serum lipid levels with psychological factors was attempted. 1. Among the VA patients, 46.7% belonged to the areas III and IV, as compared to 18% of the patients with EA + OMI, and 2.6% of the healthy subjects. 2. Seventy-three percent of the VA group showed anxiety states indicating a correlation with a psychological disorder. 3. A majority of the VA patients had a variety of psychological symptoms unrelated to myocardial ischemia. 4. Total cholesterol, triglycerides, LDL cholesterol, serum uric acid and the atherogenic index were all lower in the VA group than in the EA + OMI group. 5. In the EA + OMI group, triglycerides, serum uric acid and the atherogenic index were higher in the psychological group than in the non-psychological group. However, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol and HDL cholesterol were lower in the former than in the latter group. It was concluded that an anxiety state constitutes a contributing background for developing VA and it was speculated that such an anxiety state may lead to an exaggerated secretion of stress hormones, resulting in vasospasm of the coronary arteries.

Atypical chest pain and panic disorder.

Cardiovascular symptoms are often present in descriptions of patients with panic disorder, and are considered a central element in current diagnostic criteria. These patients often visit emergency wards complaining of chest pain or discomfort. In many cases, a possible psychiatric diagnosis is not considered, and these patients are often incorrectly diagnosed and treated. The aim of this study is to examine the presence of panic disorder in those patients who visit a general hospital emergency ward with chest pain, and are then released after no organic pathology is found. We present the results obtained from the examination of 112 patients with these characteristics who were given a structured interview developed for the diagnosis of affective and anxiety disorders. In the sample studied, panic disorder was found in 47.3% of the subjects.

Microvascular angina and panic disorder.

Recent cardiac studies have suggested that patients with chest pain and angiographically normal coronaries have "microvascular angina" (MVA). In contrast, prior psychiatric studies have shown that some of these patients have panic disorder (PD). We compared the clinical and psychologic characteristics of fifteen patients with MVA and fifteen patients with panic disorder (PD), and examined response to lactate infusion in a subgroup of MVA patients. Although 40 percent of MVA patients met criteria for PD and had chest pain following lactate infusion, there were psychologic and symptomatic differences between the MVA and PD groups. These results reflect either co-morbidity of MVA and PD in some patients or two types of MVA, one of primary cardiac origin and one a centrally mediated epiphenomenon of the increased autonomic arousal seen in PD.

Atypical angina in patients with coronary artery disease suggests panic disorder.

The occurrence of psychiatric disorders in patients with "medical" problems is not only possible but may be even facilitated by these problems. This article examines the relationship between the type of chest pain and the diagnosis of panic disorder among coronary artery disease (CAD) patients. Forty-nine such cardiology patients were interviewed using a structured instrument. Forty percent of patients with atypical angina met DSM-III-R criteria for current panic disorder while no panic disorder was identified in the typical angina group. This finding should have great implications for the care of CAD patients. At least many of the atypical angina patients could benefit from standard effective treatment for panic disorder. This would likely improve their functioning and decrease the financial burden on them and the health care system.

Physiopathological considerations on the arterial coronary spasm. Some diagnostic and therapeutical conclusions.

Starting from the cyclicity of the anginal attack in variant angina, the authors point out the role of alkalosis, besides the richness in alfa-adrenoceptors of the great coronary trunks. At the level of the muscular cell there is a competition between H+-ions and Ca++-ions. The diminution of H+-ions as a result of alkalosis brings about the penetration of Ca++ into the cell and the appearance of the coronary spasm. So, we worked out an original method for the provocation of the spasm (the cold and hiperpneea test) and an original therapeutical procedure (by acetozolamid). We present, herein the first results scored in 16 patients.

Psychotherapeutic intervention in angina: I. A critical review.

This paper considers the literature on factors found to be associated with angina and pseudoangina, and attempts to delineate those psychosocial characteristics that might distinguish angina patients from either nonanginal CAD patients or from non-CAD normals. A cluster of characteristics emerges from both retrospective and prospective studies suggesting greater affective lability, "neuroticism," and perhaps physiologic reactivity than in either comparison group. The literature also suggests that learning and suggestion may play important roles in generating specific precipitants for anginal attacks. The literature on psychosocial intervention in anginal syndromes is almost entirely anecdotal, allowing few firm conclusions to be drawn, but suggesting the possible efficacy of certain behavioral, didactic, and supportive-psychodynamic interventions.