Acute myocardial infarction: psychosocial and cardiovascular risk factors in men.

Abstract

Controversy still exists over the independent role of psychosocial factors in acute myocardial infarction (AMI). This study aimed to compare psychometric indices in Portuguese patients surviving a first episode of AMI and a community sample free of AMI. A community-based, case-control study. The study sample included 153 male patients with a first episode of AMI and 156 male controls randomly selected from the community. Information on demographic, social, medical and behavioural characteristics was obtained using a structured questionnaire; anthropometric, blood pressure, and serum measurements were performed, and the psychometric evaluation was obtained using a self-evaluation questionnaires (Bortner scale, Beck Depression Inventory, SCL-90-R, Psychological General Well-Being and the Nottingham Health Profile). Cases of AMI more often exhibited type A behaviour (15.4 +/- 3.0 versus 14.7 +/- 2.7, P = 0.041), had more depressive symptoms (10.8 +/- 8.0 versus 8.6 +/- 8.0, P = 0.005) and showed worse scores on general well-being (68.4 +/- 17.7 versus 76.6 +/- 16.2, P < 0.001) than controls. Cases were significantly different from controls in terms of years of education (6.7 +/- 4.4 versus 9.0 +/- 4.7 years, P < 0.001), hypertension (43.1% versus 30.1%, P = 0.024), dislipidaemia (43.8% versus 34.0%, P = 0.038), type I obesity (53.6% versus 42.3%, P = 0.045), smoking (54.1% versus 26.5%, P < 0.001), no practise of exercise (68.5% versus 50.3%, P = 0.002) and presence of non-insulin-dependent diabetics (16.3% versus 6.4%, P = 0.010). After adjusting for such factors a similar set of significant psychometric results was found. Type A behaviour, depression and lower levels of well-being and quality of life, independent of other cardiovascular risk factors, were significant features of AMI cases.