Catharina Welin

Obesity and trends in cardiovascular risk factors over 40 years in Swedish men aged 50

Objective.  To study trends over 40 years in cardiovascular risk factors in normal weight, overweight and obese men, all aged 50 when examined.

Depression, anxiety, stress, social interaction and health-related quality of life in men and women with unexplained chest pain

BackgroundUnexplained chest pain (UCP) is a common reason for emergency hospital admission and generates considerable health-care costs for society. Even though prior research indicates that psychological problems and impaired quality of life are common among UCP patients, there is lack of knowledge comparing UCP patients with a reference group from the general population. The aim of this study was to analyse differences between men and women with UCP and a reference group in terms of psychosocial factors as depression, anxiety, stress, social interaction and health-related quality of life (HRQOL).MethodsA self-administered questionnaire about psychosocial factors was completed by 127 men and 104 women with acute UCP admitted consecutively to the Emergency Department (ED) or as in-patients on a medical ward. A reference group from the general population, 490 men and 579 women, participants in the INTERGENE study and free of clinical heart disease, were selected.ResultsThe UCP patients were more likely to be immigrants, have a sedentary lifestyle, report stress at work and have symptoms of depression and trait-anxiety compared with the reference group. After adjustment for differences in age, smoking, hypertension and diabetes, these factors were still significantly more common among patients with UCP. In a stepwise multivariate model with mutual adjustment for psychosocial factors, being an immigrant was associated with a more than twofold risk in both sexes. Stress at work was associated with an almost fourfold increase in risk among men, whereas there was no independent impact for women. In contrast, depression only emerged as an independent risk factor in women. Trait-anxiety and a low level of social interaction were not independently associated with risk in either men or women. Patients with UCP were two to five times more likely to have low scores for HRQOL.ConclusionBoth men and women with UCP had higher depression scores than referents, but an independent association was only found in women. Among men, perceived stress at work emerged as the only psychosocial variable significantly associated with UCP.

Prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and the metabolic syndrome in middle-aged men and women in Gothenburg, Sweden.

BackgroundRandom samples of 50-year-old men living in Gothenburg have been examined every 10th year since 1963 with a focus on cardiovascular risk factors. The aims of the study were to acquire up-to-date information about risk factors in the fifth cohort of 50-year-old men and women, to re-examine those who were 50 years of age in 1993, and to analyse the prevalence of the metabolic syndrome (MetSyn) using different definitions.MethodsA random sample of men and women born in 1953 were examined in 2003–2004 for cardiovascular risk factors. Men born in 1943 and that participated in the examination in 1993 were also invited. Descriptive statistics were calculated.ResultsThe participation rate among men and women born in 1953 was 60 and 67% respectively. Among men born in 1943, the participation rate was 87%. The prevalence of obesity was from 15 to 17% (body mass index, BMI ≥ 30) in the three samples. The prevalence of known diabetes was 4% among the 50-year-old men and 6% among the 60-year-old men, and 2% among the women. Increased fasting plasma glucose varied substantially from 4 to 33% depending on cut-off level and gender. Mean cholesterol was 5.4 to 5.5 mmol/l. Smoking was more common among women aged 50 (26%) than among men aged 50 (22%) and 60 years (15%). The prevalence of the MetSyn varied with the definition used: from 10 to 15.8% among the women, from 16.1 to 26% among 50-year-old men, and from 19.9 to 35% among the 60-year-old men. Only 5% of the men and women had no risk factors.ConclusionThis study provides up-to-date information about the prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors and the MetSyn in middle-aged Swedish men and women. Different definitions of the MetSyn create confusion regarding which definition to use.

Coping strategies, stress, physical activity and sleep in patients with unexplained chest pain

BackgroundThe number of patients suffering from unexplained chest pain (UCP) is increasing. Intervention programmes are needed to reduce the chest pain and suffering experienced by these patients and effective preventive strategies are also required to reduce the incidence of these symptoms. The aim of this study was to describe general coping strategies in patients with UCP and examine the relationships between coping strategies, negative life events, sleep problems, physical activity, stress and chest pain intensity.MethodThe sample consisted of 179 patients younger than 70 years of age, who were evaluated for chest pain at the emergency department daytime Monday through Friday and judged by a physician to have no organic cause for their chest pain. The study had a cross-sectional design.ResultsEmotive coping was related to chest pain intensity (r = 0.17, p = 0.02). Women used emotive coping to a greater extent than did men (p = 0.05). In the multivariate analysis was shown that physical activity decreased emotive coping (OR 0.13, p < 0.0001) while sex, age, sleep, mental strain at work and negative life events increased emotive coping. Twenty-seven percent of the patients had sleep problems 8 to14 nights per month or more. Permanent stress at work during the last year was reported by 18% of the patients and stress at home by 7%. Thirty-five percent of the patients were worried often or almost all the time about being rushed at work and 23% were worried about being unable to keep up with their workload. Concerning total life events, 20% reported that a close relative had had a serious illness and 27% had reasons to be worried about a close relative.ConclusionOur results indicated that patients with more intense UCP more often apply emotive coping in dealing with their pain. Given that emotive coping was also found to be related to disturbed sleep, negative life events, mental strain at work and physical activity, it may be of value to help these patients to both verbalise their emotions and to become cognizant of the influence of such factors on their pain experience.

Psychosocial profile in men and women with unexplained chest pain.

Objective.  The aim of this study was to compare men and women with unexplained chest pain (UCP) to a randomly selected population sample free of clinical heart disease with regard to sleep problems, mental strain at work, stress at home, negative life events and health‐related quality of life (HRQOL).

Twenty-year trends in incidence and 1-year mortality in Swedish patients hospitalised with non-AMI chest pain. Data from 1987–2006 from the Swedish hospital and death registries

Objective To study trends for 20 years in incidence and 1-year mortality in hospitalised patients who received a diagnosis of either angina or unexplained chest pain (UCP) in Sweden. Design and setting Register study of all patients aged 25–84 years identified from the Swedish National Hospital Discharge Register who were hospitalised with a first-time diagnosis of UCP or angina pectoris during 1987 to 2006. Participants A total of 378 454 patients, 235 855 with UCP and 142 599 with angina. Main outcome measures 1-Year mortality and standardised mortality ratios (SMRs). Results From the period 1987–1991 to 2002–2006, the observed 1-year mortality rate in men and women with UCP aged 25–74 years decreased from 2.19% to 1.45% and from 1.85% to 0.91%, respectively. SMRs decreased from 1.67 (95% CI 1.39 to 1.95) and 1.63 (1.27 to 2.00) to 1.09 (0.96 to 1.23) and 0.88 (0.75 to 1.00). Corresponding decreases in 1-year mortality for a discharge diagnosis of angina were from 6.50% to 2.49% in men and from 4.80% to 1.68% in women, with SMRs decreasing from 2.69 (2.33–3.05) and 2.59 (2.06–3.12) to 1.09 (0.93–1.25) and 1.05 (0.81–1.29), respectively. Similar changes occurred in patients aged 75–84 years. Only men with UCP aged 75–84 years still retained a slightly increased mortality (SMR 1.14 (1.01–1.28)). Conclusions The prognosis of patients admitted with chest pain in which acute myocardial infarction has been ruled out has improved for the past 20 years, such that the 1-year mortality of these patients is now similar to that in the general population.

Behavioural Characteristics in Patients with Myocardial Infarction: A Case-Control Study

Background: Over the past 10–20 years, evidence has accumulated suggesting that it is not just biological risk factors that are important for the development of coronary heart disease. The present study is one of a series of case-control studies in which a wide range of psychosocial factors have been analysed in the same population to obtain information on their relationship with myocardial infarction, as well as of the interaction between psychosocial and biomedical variables. Methods: The relationship between behavioural factors and non-fatal myocardial infarction was studied by comparing consecutively admitted male (n = 288) and female (n = 55) patients with a population sample of 283 men and 129 women. All participants were under 65 years of age. The behavioural variables (type-A behaviour, health locus of control, sleep problems and alcohol consumption) were investigated by means of a self-administered questionnaire. Results: No significant differences emerged between patients with myocardial infarction and controls in terms of their type-A behaviour pattern. After controlling for traditional risk factors (smoking, hypertension, serum cholesterol level and diabetes), men with myocardial infarction reported a significantly stronger external health locus of control (i.e. a weak belief in their capacity to control their health) compared with their controls, as well as more problems with sleep and a lower alcohol consumption; women with myocardial infarction reported significantly more problems with sleep than their controls. Conclusion: The importance of health locus of control, sleep problems and alcohol consumption is amplified by the fact that they are related to myocardial infarction independently of conventional biomedical risk factors. These behavioural factors should be studied further in prospective investigations.

Unexplained Chest Pain in Relation to Psychosocial Factors and Health-Related Quality of Life in Men and Women:

Background: Unexplained chest pain is a frequent and increasingly common complaint among patients admitted to Emergency Departments. Previous studies have defined unexplained chest pain as non-cardiac or non-coronary artery disease, i.e. patients with other organic causes explaining the chest pain could be included. To increase the knowledge of unexplained chest pain, this study only includes patients without any known explanation for their chest pain. Aim: To analyze gender differences regarding pain characteristics, psychosocial factors and health-related quality of life among patients diagnosed unexplained chest pain. Methods and results: The results are based on 179 patients (101 men, 78 women) between 16 and 69 years old (mean age 45.3) consecutively admitted to Emergency Department. Pain characteristics were assessed by Pain-O-Meter. Social relationships, depression, anxiety, and health-related quality of life were measured by a self-administered questionnaire. There were no gender differences regarding chest pain intensity; however women described their pain as burning (p < 0.01) and frightening (p < 0.03) more often than men. Men reported less depression (p < 0.01) and less trait anxiety (p = 0.01) than women. Chest pain intensity did not significantly impact health-related quality of life except physical functioning in men (p = 0.05). Conclusion: Gender differences were few. Chest pain intensity did not significantly impact health-related quality of life.

Insulin resistance and other risk factors for coronary heart disease in elderly men. The Study of Men Born in 1913 and 1923.

Background We have previously shown that insulin is not a major risk factor for CHD. Our data have been re-analysed with longer follow-up and the homeostasis model assessment (HOMA) method. Design Prospective cohort study of 57- and 67-year-old men. Methods Insulin resistance was estimated with the HOMA equation. Standard methods were used to measure risk factors. The endpoint (CHD) was the combination of non-fatal myocardial infarction and fatal CHD during 13 years of follow-up. Results The risk of CHD increased 2.5-fold in known diabetics compared with those with normal glucose tolerance, 2.2-fold among those in the highest compared with the lowest quintile of insulin resistance, and 2.4-fold among those in the highest compared with the lowest quintile of fasting insulin. Increased physical activity decreased the risk of CHD by 65%. Cholesterol was also a significant risk factor for CHD but blood pressure, obesity and smoking were not related to the incidence of CHD. Conclusion Insulin resistance is a significant risk factor for CHD. Whether it is a causal risk factor remains to be proven. Regular physical activity protects against CHD.

Social Relationships and Myocardial Infarction: A Case-Control Study:

Background For more than 10 years there has been increasing evidence that not only biological risk factors are important for the development of coronary heart disease. The present study is one of a series of case-control studies in which a wide range of psychosocial factors in the same population have been analysed to obtain information on their relationship with myocardial infarction, and of the interaction between psychosocial and biomedical variables. Methods The association between social relationships and nonfatal myocardial infarction was studied by comparing consecutively admitted male (n=288) and female (n=55) patients with myocardial infarction with a population sample of 283 men and 129 women. All participants were under 65 years of age. The social relationships were investigated by means of a self-administered questionnaire. Results Men with myocardial infarction reported significantly lower perceived emotional support compared with their controls, as well as less social activity. Women with myocardial infarction reported significantly less social activity than their controls. There were no significant differences between cases and controls in social integration (number and frequency of social relationships and contacts). Neither did dissatisfaction with social relationships differ significantly between patients with myocardial infarction and controls. After controlling for traditional risk factors (smoking, hypertension, serum cholesterol level, diabetes) perceived emotional support remained significantly related to myocardial infarction in men, and so did the amount of social activity in both men and women. Conclusion The importance of perceived emotional support and lack of social activity is amplified by the fact that they are related to myocardial infarction independently of conventional biomedical risk factors. These social factors should be studied further in prospective investigations.