Psycho-emotional Manifestations of Valvular Heart Diseases: Prospective Assessment in Mitral Regurgitation

Abstract

ObjectiveTo define the prevalence and consequences of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as an emotional response to cardiac diseases in patients with mitral regurgitation. MethodsWe prospectively enrolled 186 patients with moderate or severe organic mitral regurgitation, presenting class I (absent) or II (minimal) dyspnea, who were compared with 80 controls of similar age (38 with completely normal cardiac function; 42 with mild mitral-valve prolapse; all with no, or at most mild, mitral regurgitation). Mitral-regurgitation severity and consequences were comprehensively measured, simultaneously with PTSD, anxiety, and depression. ResultsPTSD prevalence was higher in mitral-regurgitation patients vs controls (23% vs 9%, P <.01). Although mitral-regurgitation objective severity (regurgitant volume 77.8 ± 28.9 vs 79.0 ± 27.5 mL, P = .8) and objective consequences (left-atrial volume 59.1 ± 20.9 vs 54.02 ± 15.6 mL, P = .1; right-ventricular systolic pressure 34.1 ± 11.4 vs 32.9 ± 7.2 mm Hg, P = .6) were similar with and without PTSD (all P ≥.1), patients with PTSD were more symptomatic (class II 74 vs 38%; fatigue 71% vs 38%, both P <.0001) and had higher anxiety and depressions scores (P <.0001). ConclusionsPTSD is prevalent in organic moderate or severe mitral-regurgitation patients but is not determined by objective mitral-regurgitation severity or consequences. PTSD is linked to anxiety and depression and to symptoms usually considered cardiac, such as dyspnea. Thus, PTSD and psycho-emotional manifestations, linked to symptoms, represent important responses to chronic-valve disease that may affect clinical outcomes.