Body affects mind? Preoperative behavioral and biological predictors for postoperative symptoms in mental health.

The study examined differential effects of preoperative biomarkers (cotisol, C-reactive protein/CRP, and interleukin-6/IL-6) on postoperative symptoms in mental health (depressed mood, anxiety and hostility) 1 month following open-heart surgery, controlling for known predictors. Preoperative and postoperative interviews were conducted on 162 patients. Peripheral venous blood samples were collected between 8 and 10 a.m. prior to surgery. Cardiac indices were obtained from the Society of Thoracic Surgeons' national database. Preoperative anxiety contributed to all outcomes about 1 month postoperatively. Patients with high preoperative plasma IL-6 used more avoidant coping and experienced greater depressed mood. Patients with increased plasma CRP and with hope were less depressed. Elevated plasma cortisol predicted hostility. Finally, medical comorbidities predicted anxiety and hostility. The combination of anxiety and stress-sensitive biomarkers may be one way to predict postoperative symptoms following open-heart surgery. Our findings emphasize the importance of investigating the mind-body interplay to come up with better interventions.