Carol A. Mastromauro

Predictive testing for Huntington's disease with use of a linked DNA marker

The probability of carrying the gene for Huntingtons disease can in many cases be estimated in the children of affected persons by identifying a specific DNA marker that is genetically linked to the gene. We studied 47 persons at 50 percent risk of inheriting Huntingtons disease who requested a presymptomatic or prenatal genetic-linkage test between September 1986 and January 1988. The participants were given pre-test counseling and psychological and neurologic evaluations. Nineteen persons later voluntarily withdrew from the protocol, including one who would have been excluded anyway, and one person was from a family that was too small to allow testing. Three D4S10 restriction-fragment-length polymorphisms produced by the HindIII, EcoRI, and Bg/I enzymes were used for all tests, and the probability that a subject was a Huntingtons disease carrier was calculated. The accuracy of the test was compromised by a 4 percent recombination frequency between D4S10 and the Huntingtons disease gene. Fifteen presymptomatic tests and one prenatal test were completed. Four yielded positive results, seven yielded negative results, and five were uninformative; seven persons are awaiting test results. All participants with positive tests experienced intermittent depression, but none required hospitalization, and no suicide threats were reported. Five participants received a diagnosis of Huntingtons disease on the basis of the neurologic assessment. We conclude that some persons in the early stages of Huntingtons disease may seek presymptomatic testing rather than neurologic evaluations.

Collaborative Care for Depression and Anxiety Disorders in Patients With Recent Cardiac Events The Management of Sadness and Anxiety in Cardiology (MOSAIC) Randomized Clinical Trial

IMPORTANCE Depression and anxiety are associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes in patients with recent acute cardiac events. There has been minimal study of collaborative care (CC) management models for mental health disorders in high-risk cardiac inpatients, and no prior CC intervention has simultaneously managed depression and anxiety disorders. OBJECTIVE To determine the impact of a low-intensity CC intervention for depression, generalized anxiety disorder, and panic disorder among patients hospitalized for an acute cardiac illness. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Single-blind randomized clinical trial, with study assessors blind to group assignment, from September 2010 through July 2013 of 183 patients admitted to inpatient cardiac units in an urban academic general hospital for acute coronary syndrome, arrhythmia, or heart failure and found to have clinical depression, generalized anxiety disorder, or panic disorder on structured assessment. INTERVENTIONS Participants were randomized to 24 weeks of a low-intensity telephone-based multicomponent CC intervention targeting depression and anxiety disorders (n = 92) or to enhanced usual care (serial notification of primary medical providers; n = 91). The CC intervention used a social work care manager to coordinate assessment and stepped care of psychiatric conditions and to provide support and therapeutic interventions as appropriate. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Improvement in mental health-related quality of life (Short Form-12 Mental Component Score [SF-12 MCS]) at 24 weeks, compared between groups using a random-effects model in an intent-to-treat analysis. RESULTS Patients randomized to CC had significantly greater estimated mean improvements in SF-12 MCS at 24 weeks (11.21 points [from 34.21 to 45.42] in the CC group vs 5.53 points [from 36.30 to 41.83] in the control group; estimated mean difference, 5.68 points [95% CI, 2.14-9.22]; P = .002; effect size, 0.61). Patients receiving CC also had significant improvements in depressive symptoms and general functioning, and higher rates of treatment of a mental health disorder; anxiety scores, rates of disorder response, and adherence did not differ between groups. CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE A novel telephone-based, low-intensity model to concurrently manage cardiac patients with depression and/or anxiety disorders was effective for improving mental health-related quality of life in a 24-week trial. TRIAL REGISTRATION clinicaltrials.gov Identifier: NCT01201967.

Effects of Depression and Anxiety Improvement on Adherence to Medication and Health Behaviors in Recently Hospitalized Cardiac Patients

Impaired adherence to medications and health behaviors may mediate the connection between psychiatric symptoms and mortality in cardiac patients. This study assessed the association between improvements in depression/anxiety and self-reported adherence to health behaviors in depressed cardiac patients in the 6 months after cardiac hospitalization. Data were analyzed from depressed patients on inpatient cardiac units who were hospitalized for acute coronary syndrome, heart failure, or arrhythmia and enrolled in a randomized trial of collaborative care depression management (n = 134 in primary analysis). Measurements of depression (Patient Health Questionnaire-9), anxiety (Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Anxiety subscale), and adherence to secondary prevention behaviors (Medical Outcomes Study-Specific Adherence Scale items) were obtained at baseline, 6 weeks 12 weeks, and 6 months. The association between improvement in depression/anxiety and adherence was assessed by linear regression after accounting for the effects of multiple relevant covariates. At all time points improvement in the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 was significantly and independently associated with self-reported adherence to medications and secondary prevention behaviors. In contrast, improvement in the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, Anxiety subscale was associated with improved adherence only at 6 weeks. In conclusion, in a cohort of depressed cardiac patients, improvement in depression was consistently and independently associated with superior self-reported adherence to medications and secondary prevention behaviors across a 6-month span, whereas improvement in anxiety was not.

Development of a positive psychology intervention for patients with acute cardiovascular disease

The management of depression and other negative psychological states in cardiac patients has been a focus of multiple treatment trials, though such trials have not led to substantial improvements in cardiac outcomes. In contrast, there has been minimal focus on interventions to increase positive psychological states in cardiac patients, despite the fact that optimism and other positive states have been associated with superior cardiovascular outcomes. Our objective was to develop an 8-week, phone-based positive psychology intervention for patients hospitalized with acute cardiac disease (acute coronary syndrome or decompensated heart failure). Such an intervention would consist of positive psychology exercises adapted for this specific population, and it would need to be feasible for practitioners and patients in real-world settings. By adapting exercises that were previously validated in healthy individuals, we were able to generate a positive psychology telemedicine intervention for cardiac patients that focused on optimism, kindness, and gratitude. In addition, we successfully created a companion treatment manual for subjects to enhance the educational aspects of the intervention and facilitate completion of exercises. Finally, we successfully performed a small pilot trial of this intervention, and found that the positive psychology intervention appeared to be feasible and well-accepted in a cohort of patients with acute cardiac illness. Future studies should further develop this promising intervention and examine its impact on psychological and medical outcomes in this vulnerable population of cardiac patients.

Impact of a depression care management program for hospitalized cardiac patients.

Background— Depression is independently associated with poor outcomes among patients with acute cardiac disease. Collaborative care depression management programs have been used in outpatients to improve depression outcomes, but such a program had never been initiated in the hospital or used for patients with a wide range of cardiac illnesses. Methods and Results— This was a prospective, randomized trial of a low-intensity, 12-week collaborative care program versus usual care for 175 depressed patients hospitalized for acute coronary syndrome, arrhythmia, or heart failure. Study outcomes, assessed using mixed regression models to compare groups at 6 weeks, 12 weeks, and 6 months, included mental health (depression, cognitive symptoms of depression, anxiety, and mental health-related quality of life) and medical (physical health-related quality of life, adherence to medical recommendations, and cardiac symptoms) outcomes. Collaborative care subjects (n=90) had significantly greater improvements on all mental health outcomes at 6 and 12 weeks, including rates of depression response (collaborative care, 59.7% versus usual care 33.7%; odds ratio, 2.91; P=0.003 at 6 weeks; 51.5% versus 34.4%; odds ratio, 2.02; P=0.04 at 12 weeks), though these effects decreased after intervention. At 6 months, intervention subjects had significantly greater self-reported adherence and significantly reduced number and intensity of cardiac symptoms. Conclusions— Among patients with a broad range of cardiac diagnoses, a collaborative care depression management program initiated during hospitalization led to significant improvements in multiple clinically important mental health outcomes and had promising effects on relevant medical outcomes after intervention. Clinical Trial Registration— URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov. Unique identifier: NCT00847132.

Detection of depression in cardiac inpatients: Feasibility and results of systematic screening

BACKGROUND A recent American Heart Association (AHA) Prevention Committee report recommended depression screening of all coronary heart disease patients using 2- and 9-item instruments from the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-2 and PHQ-9) to identify patients who may need further assessment and treatment. Our objective was to assess the feasibility and results of such screening on inpatient cardiac units. METHODS In September 2007, the PHQ-2 was added to the nursing interview dataset on 3 cardiac units in a general hospital; this screen was completed as part of routine clinical care. Rates and results of depression screening, reasons for patients not being screened, and results of a nursing satisfaction survey were tabulated, and differences in baseline characteristics between screened and unscreened patients were analyzed via chi(2) and independent-samples t tests. RESULTS For a 12-month period, 4,783 patients were admitted to the cardiac units; 3,504 (73.3%) received PHQ-2 depression screening. Approximately 9% of screened patients had a PHQ-2 score > or =3 and were approached for further depression evaluation (PHQ-9) by a social worker; 74.1% of the positive-screen patients had a PHQ-9 score of > or =10, suggestive of major depression. Nurses (n = 66) reported high satisfaction with the screening process, and mean reported PHQ-2 screening time was 1.4 (+/-1.1) minutes. CONCLUSIONS Systematic depression screening of cardiac patients using methods outlined by the AHA Prevention Committee is feasible, well-accepted, and does not appear markedly resource-intensive. Future studies should link these methods to an efficient and effective program of depression management in this vulnerable population.

Feasibility and Utility of Screening for Depression and Anxiety Disorders in Patients With Cardiovascular Disease

Background—Depression and anxiety in patients with cardiac disease are common and independently associated with morbidity and mortality. We aimed to explore the use of a 3-step approach to identify inpatients with cardiac disease with depression, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), or panic disorder; understand the predictive value of individual screening items in identifying these disorders; and assess the relative prevalence of these disorders in this cohort. Methods and Results—To identify depression and anxiety disorders in inpatients with cardiac disease as part of a care management trial, an iterative 3-step screening procedure was used. This included an existing 4-item (Coping Screen) tool in nursing data sets, a 5-item screen for positive Coping Screen patients (Patient Health Questionnaire-2 [PHQ-2], GAD-2, and an item about panic attacks), and a diagnostic evaluation using PHQ-9 and the Primary Care Evaluation of Mental Disorders anxiety disorder modules. Overall, 6210 inpatients received the Coping Screen, 581 completed portions of all 3 evaluation steps, and 210 received a diagnosis (143 depression, 129 GAD, 30 panic disorder). Controlling for age, sex, and the other screening items, PHQ-2 items independently predicted depression (little interest/pleasure: odds ratio [OR]=6.65, P<0.001; depression: OR=5.24, P=0.001), GAD-2 items predicted GAD (anxious: OR=4.09, P=0.003; unable to control worrying: OR=10.46, P<0.001), and the panic item predicted panic disorder (OR=49.61, P<0.001). Conclusions—GAD was nearly as prevalent as depression in this cohort, and GAD-2 was an effective screening tool; however, panic disorder was rare. These results support the use of 2-step screening for depression and GAD beginning with a 4-item scale (GAD-2 plus PHQ-2). Clinical Trial Registration—Unique Identifier: NCT01201967. URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT01201967.

Patient Health Questionnaire-9 score and adverse cardiac outcomes in patients hospitalized for acute cardiac disease.

OBJECTIVE The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) is increasingly used as a depression assessment tool in cardiac patients. However, in contrast to older depression instruments, there is little data linking PHQ-9 scores to adverse cardiac outcomes. Our goal was to evaluate whether higher PHQ-9 scores were predictive of subsequent cardiac readmissions among depressed patients hospitalized for an acute cardiac event. METHODS Patients diagnosed with depression during hospitalization for acute coronary syndrome, heart failure, or arrhythmia were enrolled in a randomized depression management trial. Participants were administered PHQ-9 at enrollment, and data was collected regarding cardiac readmissions and mortality over the next 6months. To evaluate the independent association of PHQ-9 score with subsequent cardiac readmission, Cox regression analysis that included relevant sociodemographic and medical covariates was used. Survival analysis examining time to first event, stratified by quartile of initial PHQ-9 score, was performed using Kaplan-Meier curves and log-rank test for trend. Analyses were then repeated using a composite (cardiac readmission or mortality) outcome. RESULTS Among 172 subjects, 62 (36.0%) had a cardiac-related rehospitalization. Higher initial PHQ-9 score predicted cardiac-related rehospitalization, independent of multiple relevant covariates (hazard ratio 1.09 [95% confidence interval=1.02-1.17]; p=0.015). On survival analysis, log-rank test for trend revealed a significant rise in event rates across increasing PHQ-9 quartiles (χ(2)=6.36; p=0.012). Findings were similar (p<.05) for the composite outcome. CONCLUSION In depressed cardiac patients, each additional point on the PHQ-9 was independently associated with a 9% greater risk of cardiac readmission over the subsequent 6months.

Design and baseline data from the Management of Sadness and Anxiety in Cardiology (MOSAIC) randomized controlled trial

BACKGROUND Depression and anxiety in cardiac patients are independently associated with adverse cardiovascular outcomes, including mortality. Collaborative care (CC) programs, which use care managers to assess patients, coordinate care, and perform therapeutic interventions, have proven effective in managing depression in this population. However, no prior CC intervention has simultaneously managed depression and anxiety disorders, and there has been minimal study of CC in high-risk cardiac inpatients. MATERIALS AND METHODS The Management of Sadness and Anxiety in Cardiology (MOSAIC) study was a prospective randomized trial of a low-intensity CC intervention, compared to enhanced usual care, for patients hospitalized for acute coronary syndrome, heart failure, or arrhythmia, and diagnosed with depression, generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), or panic disorder (PD). The primary outcome measure for MOSAIC was mental health-related quality of life (HRQoL), measured using the Medical Outcomes Study Short Form-12. Additional outcomes included psychological, functional, and medical outcomes, including rehospitalizations. RESULTS A total of 183 eligible participants were enrolled (92 collaborative care, 91 enhanced usual care); 94% of depressed patients reported being depressed for >1month, and 53% of those with GAD reported clinically significant anxiety for >1year. One hundred thirty-three patients had depression, 118 had GAD, and 19 had PD; 74 participants (40%) had two or more of the disorders. CONCLUSION The MOSAIC trial will provide data regarding whether an intervention that concurrently manages these common psychiatric disorders results in meaningful improvements in HRQoL, psychiatric symptoms, and medical outcomes in cardiac patients at high risk for adverse outcomes.

Risk factors for positive depression screens in hospitalized cardiac patients

BACKGROUND Depression is common in patients with cardiac illness and is independently associated with elevated morbidity and mortality. There are screening guidelines for depression in cardiac patients, but the feasibility and cost-effectiveness of screening all cardiac patients is controversial. This process may be improved if a subset of cardiac patients at high risk for depression could be identified using information readily available to clinicians and screened. OBJECTIVE To identify risk factors for a positive depression screen at the time of admission in hospitalized cardiac patients. METHODS A total of 561 consecutively screened cardiac inpatients underwent the Patient Health Questionnaire-2 (PHQ-2). A prospective chart review was performed to assess potential risk factors for depression that would be readily available to front-line clinicians. Rates of risk factors were compared between patients with positive and negative PHQ-2 depression screens, and multivariate logistic regression was performed to assess whether specific risk factors were independently associated with positive screens. RESULTS Of the 561 patients screened, 13.5% (n=76) had a positive depression screen (PHQ-2≥2). In the univariate analyses, several variables were associated with a positive depression screen. On multivariate analysis, an elevated white blood cell (WBC) count (>10×10(9) cells per liter) and prescription of an antidepressant on admission were independently associated with a positive depression screen, while current smoking showed a trend toward significance. CONCLUSION Information on these three identified risk factors (WBC count, antidepressant use, and smoking) is readily available to clinicians, and patients with these diagnoses may represent a cohort who would benefit from targeted depression screening in certain settings.