141st APHA Annual Meeting

In This section

279179
Psychosomatic factors in ischemic heart disease in women: Perceptions of health-related quality of life, psychosocial stress, and functional capacity

Sunday, November 3, 2013

Ying Mou, PhD , Heart Institute Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
Diane Neal, PhD , School of Health Sciences, Walden University, Minneapolis, MN
Lawrence Fulton, PhD , College of Health Sciences, Walden University, Minneapolis, MN
Vincent Agboto, MS, PhD , Family and Community Medicine, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN
Ning Li, PhD , Department of Biomathematics, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angels, CA
Chrisandra Shufelt, M.D. , Heart Institute Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
Puja Mehta, M.D. , Heart Institute Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
C. Noel Bairey Merz, M.D. , Heart Institute Barbra Streisand Women's Heart Center, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA
Purpose: Ischemic heart disease (IHD) is a leading threat to women and a major public health problem. While psychosomatic variables have been associated with IHD, the relationship of specific psychosomatic factors and the extent of myocardial ischemia in women is unknown. We examined psychosomatic variables relative to severity of IHD in women with signs and symptoms of ischemia but without obstructive coronary artery disease. Methods: In this secondary data analysis on 168 data records from Microvascular, we evaluated psychosocial stress, perceived health-related quality of life (HRQOL), self-reported physical functional capacity and related these psychosomatic variables to severity of IHD as measured by cardiac MRI. Statistical analysis was performed using multiple linear regression modeling. Results: HRQOL in perceived physical limitation, angina stability, treatment satisfaction, and perception of disease was not a statistically significant predictor of severity of IHD. However, HRQOL in perceived angina frequency, which included frequency of chest pain, chest tightness, angina, and taking nitroglycerin, significantly predicted severity of IHD (R2=0.103, p=0.018). Psychosocial stress, including stress at work, stress at home, life events stress, and financial stress, did not significantly predict severity of IHD. We did not observe any relationship between self-reported physical functional capacity and severity of IHD. Conclusions: Perception of HRQOL in angina frequency is an independent predictor of severity of IHD. The relationship between perception of HRQOL in angina frequency and severity of IHD may contribute to an improved understanding of psychosomatic contributors to IHD. Improved understanding of psychosomatic contributors to IHD may help optimize IHD interventions.

Learning Areas:
Chronic disease management and prevention

Learning Objectives:
Identify psychosomatic factors in ischemic heart disease in women

Keywords: Women's Health, Heart Disease

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I am the principal investigator of this research study.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.