Depressive and Anxiety Symptoms Screening in Cardiac Inpatients: A Virtuous Italian Approach to Psychocardiology

Despite the fact that American Heart Association (AHA) recommended a systematic screening for depression in cardiovascular inpatients, poor attention has been given to this issue. Furthermore, no specific guidelines exist for anxiety screening in cardiovascular inpatients. Thus, the aims of this study were to verify the feasibility of a depressive and anxiety symptoms screening protocol in an Italian hospital specializing in cardiovascular diseases and to evaluate both anxiety and depressive symptoms prevalence. A group of 2009 consecutive inpatients completed the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7). The rates of depressive and anxiety symptoms were almost 9% and 16% respectively. Men were less likely than women to experience both depressive and anxiety symptoms. Patients who were admitted to the heart failure unit reported higher risk of experiencing both symptoms compared to patients in other wards. Similarly, patients admitted to the cardiac surgery unit showed a higher risk of experiencing anxiety symptoms compared to other patients. The proposed screening procedure showed a good feasibility and acceptance. This study highlighted the importance of implementing a short screening procedure in hospitals dealing with cardiovascular inpatients to identify those individuals who require specific attention and interventions.

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Generalized anxiety and depressive symptoms in various age groups during the COVID-19 lockdown. Specific predictors and differences in symptoms severity

10.31234/osf.io/42m87 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Małgorzata Gambin ◽

Marcin Sekowski ◽

Małgorzata Woźniak-Prus ◽

Anna Wnuk ◽

Tomasz Oleksy ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Depressive Symptoms ◽

Emotional Distress ◽

Age Groups ◽

Anxiety Symptoms ◽

Therapeutic Interventions ◽

Generalized Anxiety ◽

Polish Population ◽

Younger Age ◽

Patient Health ◽

Household Members

Background. Previous studies carried out in different countries indicated that young adults experience higher levels of depressive and anxiety symptoms than older age groups during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, little is known about which epidemic-related difficulties and factors may contribute to these forms of emotional distress in various age groups. Purpose. The aim of the current study was to investigate: (i) differences in levels of depressive and generalized anxiety symptoms, as well as perceived difficulties related to pandemic across four age groups in the Polish population; (ii) which factors and difficulties related to pandemic are predictors of generalized anxiety and depressive symptoms in various age groups during the COVID-19 lockdown. Method. A total of 1115 participants (aged 18-85) took part in the study. The group was a representative sample of the Polish population in terms of sex, age, and place of residence. Participants completed online: The Patient Health Questionnaire-9, The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, Scale of Perceived Health and Life Risk of COVID-19, Social Support Sale, Scale of Epidemic-Related Difficulties. Results. Younger age groups (18-29 and 30-44) experienced higher levels of depressive and generalized anxiety symptoms than older adults (45-59 and 60-85 years). Difficulties in relationships and at home were amongst the strongest predictors of depressive and generalized anxiety symptoms in all age groups. Fear and uncertainty related to the spread of the virus were one of the most important predictors of emotional distress in all the groups apart from the adults between 18-29 years, whereas difficulties related to external restrictions were one of the most significant predictors of depressive and anxiety symptoms only in the youngest group. Conclusions. Our results indicate that the youngest adults and those experiencing difficulties in relationships among household members were the most vulnerable to depressive and generalized anxiety symptoms during the COVID-19 lockdown. Thus, it is important to plan preventive and therapeutic interventions to support these at-risk individuals in dealing with the challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic.

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VA Teams Up with American Heart Association to Raise Awareness of Heart Disease in Women: Health and Fitness Event Will Run During Vermont Avenue Farmer's Market

PsycEXTRA Dataset ◽

10.1037/e657882012-001 ◽

2012 ◽

Keyword(s):

Heart Disease ◽

American Heart Association ◽

American Heart ◽

Heart Association ◽

Women Health ◽

Health And Fitness

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Evidenzbasierte Indikationen zur chirurgischen Therapie extrakranieller Karotisstenosen

Nervenheilkunde ◽

10.1055/s-0038-1624401 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 22 (05) ◽

pp. 222-232

Author(s):

H.-H. Eckstein

Keyword(s):

American Heart Association ◽

American Heart ◽

Heart Association ◽

Amaurosis Fugax

ZusammenfassungNach Durchführung prospektiv-randomisierter Studien liegen für die Karotis-Thrombendarteriektomie (KarotisTEA) höhergradiger Karotisstenosen gesicherte Indikationen auf dem Evidenzlevel Ia mit dem Empfehlungsgrad A vor. Dies betrifft sowohl >50%ige symptomatische als auch >60%ige asymptomatische Stenosen (NASCET-Kriterien). In Subgruppen-Analysen aus NASCET konnten klinische und morphologische Variablen identifiziert werden, die auf ein besonders hohes Risiko eines karotisbedingten Schlaganfalls im natürlichen Verlauf hinweisen. Patienten mit folgenden Variablen profitieren daher besonders von der Karotis-TEA: Stenosegrad >90%, schlechter Kollateralkreislauf, kontralateraler Karotisverschluss, Plaque-Ulzerationen, Tandemstenosen, intraluminale Thromben, nicht-lakunärer Hirninfarkt, Lebensalter >75 Jahre, komplexes klinisches Risikoprofil, Hemisphären-TIA (vs. Amaurosis fugax), männliches Geschlecht. Der präventive Effekt der Karotis-TEA kann jedoch nur unter Beachtung eines niedrigen perioperativen Schlaganfallbzw. Letalitätrisikos realisiert werden. Nach Empfehlungen der American Heart Association (AHA) darf das perioperative Risiko 3% bei asymptomatischen Stenosen ohne kontralaterale Stenose, 5% bei asymptomatischen Stenosen mit hochgradiger kontralateraler Stenose oder Verschluss und 6% bei symptomatischen >50%ige Stenosen (NASCET-Kriterien) nicht überschreiten. Die Ergebnisse der Qualitätssicherung Karotis-TEA der Deutschen Gesellschaft für Gefäßchirurgie (DGG) zeigen, dass diese maximal akzeptablen Obergrenzen zum Teil deutlich unterschritten werden. Vor diesem Hintergrund stellt das Stenting von Karotisstenosen einen klinischen Heilversuch dar, der nur nach interdisziplinärem Konsil und/oder i. R. randomisierter Studien zulässig ist.

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