Myocardial infarction and anxiety - depressive disorders

Introduction: Depression is common as a comorbidity with anxiety disorders and physical ailments. The aim of the study was to investigate whether the patients who had survived myocardial infarction (MI) develop symptoms of depression and anxiety more frequently than a healthy population. Methodology: The research was conducted as a retrospective-prospective, comparative, analytical, study on 108 subjects, of which 69 were male and 39 were female. The patients were divided in two groups: patients with confirmed MI diagnosis, and control group - reference population without previous myocardial infarction. Results: Thirty-seven percent of patients with diagnosed MI had depression symptoms compared to 9.3% in the control group (p = 0.003). 42.6% of subjects after MI were positive for anxiety and 18.5% in the control group (p = 0.001). Participants with higher scores on depression hada lower left-ventricle ejection fraction (p = 0.0001), as well as a higher score on anxiety (p = 0.007). Conclusion: MI is a precipitating factor for the development of depression and anxiety. Most patients who develo p depressive symptoms after MI develop depression and anxiety, which does not spontaneously resolve after MI. The lower ejection fraction (EF) after MI is a predictor for depression and anxiety. Interventional and surgical procedures are not protective factorsagainst the development of depression and anxiety.