[Effectiveness of early psychological rehabilitation among hospitalized patients with ischemic heart disease]. / Effektivnost' meropriiatii po rannei psikhologicheskoi reabilitatsii bol'nykh ishemicheskoi bolezn'iu serdtsa.

The subjects of the study were men and women (n=418) suffering from myocardial infarction or angina pectoris and hospitalized in the Cardiological Clinic of Kaunas Medical University during May-June, 2001. In order to assess the possibility to apply measures of psychological rehabilitation in a hospital setting, patients were invited to participate in three group sessions of relaxation (achieved by visualizing certain images). Effectiveness of psychological intervention was assessed by measuring statements indicating presence/absence of type A behavior pattern, depressiveness, and anxiety. Blood pressure was measured twice during each session. 38.3% of men and 35.15% of women came to the first session, while all three sessions were attended by 14.2 and 7.8% of men and women, respectively. Patients did not participate due to subjective (negative attitude towards psychological measures) and objective (hospital regimen: treatment and diagnostic procedures, etc) reasons. Average age of participants of three sessions was 56.9+/-10.31 for men, and 64.4+/-8.91 for women (p<0.02). After three group sessions such indices of type A behavior pattern, depressiveness, and anxiety as nervous tension, impatience, being in a hurry, fatigue, worrying, pessimism, anxiety became lower as compared with those at the first session.

[Attitude of specialists in different occupational groups to their health]. / Otnoshenie spetsialistov razlichnykh professional'nykh grupp k svoemu zdorov'iu.

A study was made of behavioral, psychological and somatic risk factors of development of coronary heart disease in 1311 specialists with higher education in 6 occupational groups within the framework of the cooperative program on multifactor prevention. There were no significant differences among groups with relation to smoking, physical activity and a balanced diet. Significant changes were established with relation to psychological stress and prevalence of cardiac diseases. There is no need to differentiate preventive measures for specialists of different occupations.

[Interrelation of the psychological characteristics with arrhythmia in patients with stenocardia of effort and the pain-free form of ischemic heart disease]. / Izuchenie vzaimosviazi psikhologicheskikh osobennostei s narusheniiami ritma serdtsa u bol'nykh so stenokardiei napriazheniia i bezbolevoi formoi ishemicheskoi bolezni serdtsa.

The paper is devoted to the examination of 137 patients with angina of effort and CHD painless form detected in the course of a cooperative study of multifactor prevention of myocardial infarction and cerebral stroke among the male population aged 40-59 in the city of Kaunas. It was shown that the attitude to health and change of harmful habits did not differ in the groups of patients with various types of arrhythmias, but, on the whole, the group of patients with angina of effort and CHD painless form was characterized by a more negative self-estimation of their health and a more positive attitude to preventive measures.

[Attitude to health problems of men and women participating in prophylactic research]. / Otnoshenie k voprosam zdorov'ia u muzhchin i zhenshchin, uchastvuiushchikh v profilakticheskikh issledovaniiakh.

An attitude to prophylaxis, health, physicians and harmful habits was studied in the random sample of 7836 males and females aged 25 to 69 in Kaunas within the integrated program of prophylaxis of chronic noncommunicable diseases. Women, as opposed to men, showed a tendency to a less optimistic assessment of general prophylactic measures and more often pointed to insufficient care of their health. Women take a more positive attitude to the necessity of changes in their diet and raising physical activity to protect health. It was concluded that while developing and conducting measures aimed at the prevention of chronic noncommunicable diseases one should take into consideration the peculiarities of the way of life in men and women and differences in their attitude to health problems.

[Attitude to health matters among middle-aged men in a program to prevent ischemic heart disease]. / Otnoshenie k voprosam zdorov'ia u muzhchin srednego vozrasta v programme po profilaktike ishemicheskoi bolezni serdtsa.

The authors studied the health-related attitudes (to prophylaxis, one's own health, physicians, bad habits) in men aged 40-59 years invited to participate in the programme of the multifactorial prophylaxis of myocardial infarction and cerebral stroke among the population. A total of 6803 men filled in a questionnaire consisting of 47 points mailed to them together with an invitation to take part in a screening examination. The results obtained showed that the elderly men responded favourably to the conduction of preventive procedures and to advice to change the smoking habits but less favourably toward recommendations to increase physical activity and change the diet.

[Various characteristics of persons with behavior-related risk of ischemic heart disease]. / Nekotorye osobennosti lits s povedencheskim riskom ishemicheskoi bolezni serdtsa.

In the framework of the programme on the multi-factorial prophylaxis of myocardial infarction and cerebral stroke in males aged 40-59 years, the authors studied the relationship between type A behaviour pattern as a risk factor for coronary heart disease and somatic and history indices. A study of 5698 men showed that group A was characterized by a greater percentage of subjects with elevated cholesterol and triglyceride levels and with hypercoagulatory changes in the hemostatic system. Group A subjects more frequently complained of chest pain and had a larger proportion of relatives with cardiovascular disease.

Psychological characteristics and heart rate response to exercise and emotional challenges.

The correlation was studied between heart rate responses to exercise and various emotional challenges and personality characteristics (MMPI) in healthy subjects, neurocirculatory asthenia and angina pectoris Higher scores in MMPI scales coincided with lower amplitude of HR oscillations, lower HR responses and longer HR recovery times, i.e. with symptoms of a worse functional state and adaptability of the cardiovascular system.

[Use of muscle relaxation in the primary prevention of ischemic heart disease]. / Primenenie myshechnoi relaksatsii v sisteme pervichnoi profilaktiki ishemicheskoi bolezni serdtsa.

Possibilities of using muscular relaxation as a general hygienic procedure that helps reducing the risk of coronary disease were examined in males and females from an open random population at preventive group sessions. Their ability to learn the techniques of muscular relaxation and the effects of relaxation on arterial pressure were assessed. A course of four group sessions completed by 23.23% of volunteers was sufficient for 86.36% of males and 91.49% of females to learn the command of muscular relaxation. Arterial pressure decreased significantly between the beginning of the first session and the last one (p less than 0.01), the lowered level persisting at the control session in three months' time (p less than 0.01). Muscular relaxation is expected to provide a useful element of preventive population programs aimed at reducing moderately elevated arterial pressure.

[Comparison of the behavior characteristics of men smokers and nonsmokers]. / Sopostavlenie povedencheskikh kharakteristik kuriashchikh i nekuriashchikh muzhchin.

The authors studied the relationship of smoking with the behavioristic and psychological parameters in men aged 40-59, 3713 inhabitants in Kaunas who participated in the program of multifactorial prevention of ischaemic heart disease. The comparison of groups of men who had never smoked, of those who gave up the habit and the smoking group showed that the smokers had a lower intellectual level and exhibit a negativistic attitude toward medicine and the preventive measures. It is difficult to convince the smokers to come for the health check-ups (p less than 0.0001) as compared to the other groups. Individuals who gave up smoking show themselves to be more cooperative, however their anamnestic data as to health are worse than in the other two groups.