Publication:

Frequency and severity of mental disorders in patients with non-organic chest pain and factors contributing to it, 2013

Background One of the most frequent causes of patients' visiting cardiovascular clinics is chest pain either with cardiac or non-cardiac reason. The cause of non-cardiac chest pain can be corporeal (such as esophageal, respiratory, or musculoskeletal) or mental. Mental factors that are mostly treated negligently can cause or worsen vascular diseases. This study was conducted with the purpose of determining the frequency and severity of mental disorders in patients with non-organic chest pain and its contributors.

Methods This descriptive cross sectional study was carried out over195 patients with chest pain visiting Ardabil Imam Hospital. Data were collected by SCL-90-Rquestionaire and then analysed by statistical methods using SPSS.19.

Results 41% of patients were men and 59% were women. The most frequent type of mental disorder in this study was somatization with 21.53% and the least frequent one was psychosis with 2%. Somatization intensity was mild in 64.34% of patients, moderate in 19% and severe in16.6%. The highest level of frequency for mental disorders was seen among women and those aged between 30 -40.

Conclusions In this study, mild somatization and anxiety were respectively the most common mental disorders in patients with non-organic chest pain. It was recommended that patients with non-cardiac chest pain, women in particular, be clinically examined by psychiatrists.