Abstract
Objective: Decreased heart rate variability (HRV) has been reported to be a predictor of mortality after myocardial infarction (MI). Patients' beliefs and perceptions concerning their illness may play a role in decreased HRV. This study investigated if illness perceptions predict HRV at 3 months following acute MI.Methods: 130 patients referred to a tertiary cardiology center, were examined within 48 h and 3 months following acute MI. At admission, patients' cognitive representations of their MI were assessed using the German version of the self-rated Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (Brief IPQ). At admission and after 3 months (follow-up), frequency and time domain measures of HRV were obtained from 5-min electrocardiogram (ECG) recordings during stable supine resting.Results: Linear hierarchical regression showed that the Brief IPQ dimensions timeline (β coefficient = 0.29; p = 0.044), personal control (β = 0.47; p = 0.008) and illness understanding (β = 0.43; p = 0.014) were significant predictors of HRV, adjusted for age, gender, baseline HRV, diabetes, beta-blockers, left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF), attendance of cardiac rehabilitation, and depressive symptoms.Conclusions: As patients' negative perceptions of their illness are associated with lower HRV following acute MI, a brief illness perception questionnaire may help to identify patients who might benefit from a specific illness perceptions intervention.
Highlights
Myocardial infarction (MI) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in developed countries (Murray and Lopez, 1997)
One hundred and thirty consecutive acute MI patients admitted to the Coronary Care Unit (CCU) of a tertiary university center were enrolled in the Myocardial Stress Prevention Intervention (MI-SPRINT) randomized controlled trial aimed at reducing the incidence of posttraumatic stress by an early behavioral intervention
We found significant associations between Brief Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (IPQ) variables assessed within 48 h of an acute MI and Heart rate variability (HRV) indices assessed at hospital admission as well as 3 months later
Summary
Myocardial infarction (MI) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in developed countries (Murray and Lopez, 1997). Low cardiac vagal tone, as reflected in the square root of the mean of the squared differences between adjacent normal RR intervals (rMSSD), is associated with poor self-regulation and lack of behavioral flexibility (Porges, 1992). Psychosocial factors in their own right have been emerging as risk factors of incident MI and carry a poor prognosis of recovery from MI (Carney et al, 2005; Thayer et al, 2010)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
