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. 2001 Apr;85(4):385–389. doi: 10.1136/heart.85.4.385

Psychological characteristics and fatal ischaemic heart disease

A Haines 1, J Cooper 1, T Meade 1
PMCID: PMC1729707  PMID: 11250959

Abstract

OBJECTIVE—To determine the relation between psychological characteristics and subsequent fatal ischaemic heart disease (IHD) events.
DESIGN—Prospective study of participants in the Northwick Park heart study (NPHS) recruited between 1972 and 1978 and followed up for fatal events until 1997.
SETTING—Three occupational groups in north west London.
SUBJECTS—1408 white men without a history of myocardial infarction aged 40-64 years at entry who completed a Crown-Crisp experiential index form (CCEI).
MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE—Fatal IHD during follow up.
RESULTS—A one point increase in the score on the obsessionality/obsessional neurosis subscale was associated with a relative risk of fatal IHD of 1.08 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.02 to 1.15). For the functional somatic complaint subscale the relative risk was also 1.08 (95% CI 1.02 to 1.15). In the case of the total score the relative risk of fatal IHD was 1.28 (95% CI 1.09 to 1.50) for a 10 point increase. The associations were independent of age, social class, and known cardiovascular risk factors. In the case of phobic anxiety, which had previously been found to be associated with fatal IHD in NPHS, the association was evident in the first 10 years of follow up but overall the relative risk was only 1.07 (95% CI 0.99 to 1.15) for a one point increase in the score.
CONCLUSION—Scores on two of the subscales of the CCEI and the total score are significantly associated with fatal IHD on long term follow up independently of other known risk factors.


Keywords: cohort study; ischaemic heart disease; psychological factors

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Figure 1  .

Figure 1  

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Trend of the relative risk (with 95% CI ) of fatal ischaemic heart disease for a one point change of the score on the phobic anxiety subscale over the period of follow up (p = 0.02).

Figure 2  .

Figure 2  

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Trend of relative risk (with 95% CI) of fatal ischaemic heart disease for a one point change of the score on the obsessionality/obsessional neurosis subscale over the period of follow up.

Figure 3  .

Figure 3  

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Trend of relative risk (with 95% CI) of fatal ischaemic heart disease for a one point change of score on the functional somatic complaint subscale over the period of follow up.

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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