Table 2.
Characteristics of patients with and without anxiety symptoms
| No Anxiety Taylor < 9 (N=34) mean±sd; n (%) |
Anxiety Taylor ≥ 9 (N=10) mean±sd; n (%) |
|
|---|---|---|
| Demographics | ||
| Age (years) | 62.6 ± 9.3 | 60.6 ± 9.8 |
| Sex (Female, n (%) | 1 (2.9%) | 2 (20.0%) |
| Race African American | 4 (11.8%) | 1 (10.0%) |
| European American | 30 (88.2%) | 9 (90.0%) |
| Cardiovascular disease risk factors | ||
| BMI (kg/m2) | 29.4 ± 5.8 | 29.7 ± 4.2 |
| Current Smoker | 6 (17.6%) | 1 (10.0%) |
| Hypertension | 23 (67.6%) | 8 (80.0%) |
| Diabetes | 10 (29.4%) | 2 (20.0) |
| Cardiac History | ||
| History of myocardial infarction | 30 (87.1%) | 7 (70.0%) |
| History of bypass surgery | 19 (55.9%) | 4 (40.0%) |
| Ejection fraction (%) | 33.5 ± 11.4 | 43.9 ± 14.1 * |
| Reason for ICD | ||
| Sudden death | 0 (0.0%) | 3 (30.0%) * |
| Syncope with VT/VF | 13 (38.2%) | 2 (20.0%) |
| Symptomatic VT | 10 (29.4%) | 3 (30.0%) |
| VT during Holter | 9 (26.4%) | 1 (10.0%) |
| Asymptomatic VT | 2 (5.9%) | 1 (10.0%) |
| Duration since ICD (months) | 13.5 ± 16.3 | 14.9 ± 12.4 |
| Prior ICD discharges (#) | 2.1 ± 3.7 | 0.6 ± 0.9 |
| Beta-adrenergic blocking agent | ||
| Not prescribed | 5 (14.7%) | 2 (20.0%) |
| Withheld | 6 (17.6%) | 4 (40.0%) |
| Continued | 23 (67.6%) | 4 (40.0%) |
| Psychological measures | ||
| Beck Depression Inventory | 5.7 ± 4.0 | 9.7 ± 4.6 * |
| Taylor Manifest Anxiety Scale | 3.2 ± 2.3 | 10.3 ± 1.1 |
VT = ventricular tachycardia; VF = ventricular fibrillation; ICD = implantable cardioverter defibrillator.
Group comparisons wee not significant (p>0.10) for demographic and clinical variables.
*
= p < 0.05 (Group differences for the Taylor MAS were not tested statistically because this variable was used to create the anxiety groups).