Phobic Anxiety and Depression Predictors of Ventricular Arrhythmias

Findings from a new study published in Psychosomatic Medicine indicate that phobic anxiety contributes to the risk of ventricular arrhythmias in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD). 940 cardiac patients were assessed at baseline for phobic anxiety via the Crown-Crisp phobic anxiety scale and depression via the Beck Depression Inventory and were followed for an average of 3 years. Both phobic anxiety and depression alone were significantly correlated with occurrence of arrhythmias during followup. Patients with copresenting depression and phobic anxiety were 1.6 times as likely to experience ventricular arrhythmias as patients with neither diagnosis. http://www.psychosomaticmedicine.org/cgi/content/abstract/68/5/651

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