X Y Fang1, L Albarqouni2, A F von Eisenhart Rothe2, S Hoschar2, J Ronel3, K-H Ladwig4. 1. Institute of Epidemiology II, Mental Health Research Unit, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany; Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany. 2. Institute of Epidemiology II, Mental Health Research Unit, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany. 3. Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany. 4. Institute of Epidemiology II, Mental Health Research Unit, Helmholtz Zentrum München, German Research Center for Environmental Health, Neuherberg, Germany; Department of Psychosomatic Medicine and Psychotherapy, Klinikum rechts der Isar, Technische Universität München, Munich, Germany; Deutsches Zentrum für Herz-Kreislauf-Forschung (DZHK), Partnersite Munich, Germany. Electronic address: ladwig@helmholtz-muenchen.de.
Abstract
OBJECTIVE: During an acute myocardial infarction, patients often use denial as a coping mechanism which may provide positive mood regulating effects but may also prolong prehospital delay time (PHD). However, empirical evidences are still sparse. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 533 ST-elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients from the Munich Examination of Delay in Patients Experiencing Acute Myocardial Infarction (MEDEA) study. Data on sociodemographic, clinical and psycho-behavioral characteristics were collected at bedside. The outcome was assessed using the Cardiac Denial of Impact Scale (CDIS) with the median split as cutoff point. A total of 206 (41.8%) STEMI patients were thus classified as deniers. RESULTS: Deniers were less likely to suffer from major depression (p=0.04), anxiety (p=0.01) and suboptimal well-being (p=0.01) compared to non-deniers during the last six months prior to STEMI. During STEMI, they were less likely to perceive severe pain strength (p=0.04) and racing heart (p=0.02). Male deniers were also less likely to perceive shortness of breath (p=0.03) and vomiting (p=0.01). Denial was not associated with overall delay time. However, in the time window of 3 to 24h, denial accounted for roughly 40min extra delay (356 vs. 316.5min p=0.02 n=196). CONCLUSIONS: Denial not only contributes to less suffering from acute heart related symptoms and negative affectivity but also leads to a clinically significant delay in the prevalent group. Copyright Â
OBJECTIVE: During an acute myocardial infarction, patients often use denial as a coping mechanism which may provide positive mood regulating effects but may also prolong prehospital delay time (PHD). However, empirical evidences are still sparse. METHODS: This cross-sectional study included 533 ST-elevated myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients from the Munich Examination of Delay in Patients Experiencing Acute Myocardial Infarction (MEDEA) study. Data on sociodemographic, clinical and psycho-behavioral characteristics were collected at bedside. The outcome was assessed using the Cardiac Denial of Impact Scale (CDIS) with the median split as cutoff point. A total of 206 (41.8%) STEMI patients were thus classified as deniers. RESULTS: Deniers were less likely to suffer from major depression (p=0.04), anxiety (p=0.01) and suboptimal well-being (p=0.01) compared to non-deniers during the last six months prior to STEMI. During STEMI, they were less likely to perceive severe pain strength (p=0.04) and racing heart (p=0.02). Male deniers were also less likely to perceive shortness of breath (p=0.03) and vomiting (p=0.01). Denial was not associated with overall delay time. However, in the time window of 3 to 24h, denial accounted for roughly 40min extra delay (356 vs. 316.5min p=0.02 n=196). CONCLUSIONS: Denial not only contributes to less suffering from acute heart related symptoms and negative affectivity but also leads to a clinically significant delay in the prevalent group. Copyright Â