OBJECTIVE:
To determine the
prevalence of
anxiety and
depression in
patients complaining of
chest pain who seek a
chest pain unit attendance.
INTRODUCTION:
Patients arriving at a
Chest Pain Unit may present
psychiatric disorders not identified, isolated or co-morbid to the main illness, which may interfere in the
patient prognosis.
METHODOLOGY:
Patients were assessed by the "
Hospital Anxiety and
Depression Scale" as a
screening instrument wile following a systematized protocol to rule out the
diagnosis of
acute coronary syndrome and other potentially fatal
diseases.
Patients with 8 or more points in the scale were considered "probable case" of
anxiety or
depression.
RESULTS:
According to the protocol, 59 (45.4 percent) of 130
patients studied presented
Chest Pain of Determined Cause, and 71 (54.6 percent) presented
Chest Pain of Indefinite Cause. In the former group, in which 43 (33.1 percent) had
acute coronary syndrome, 33.9 percent were probable
anxiety cases and 30.5 percent
depression cases. In the second group, formed by
patients without
acute coronary syndrome or any clinical conditions involving greater
morbidity and
mortality risk, 53.5 percent were probable
anxiety cases and 25.4 percent
depression.
CONCLUSION:
The high
anxiety and
depression prevalence observed may indicate the need for early and specialized approach to these disorders. When coronary arterial
disease is present, this may decrease
complications and shorten
hospital stay. When
psychiatric disorder appears isolated, is possible to reduce unnecessary repeated visits to
emergency room and increase
patient's
quality of life.