Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Multicenter Study
. 2019 Oct 4;14(10):e0223442.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0223442. eCollection 2019.

Religious practices and long-term survival after hospital discharge for an acute coronary syndrome

Hawa O Abu  1 , Kate L Lapane  1 , Molly E Waring  2 , Christine M Ulbricht  1 , Randolph S Devereaux  3 , David D McManus  4 , Jeroan J Allison  1 , Catarina I Kiefe  1 , Robert J Goldberg  1
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Religious practices and long-term survival after hospital discharge for an acute coronary syndrome

Hawa O Abu et al. PLoS One. .

Abstract

Background: Prior studies of healthy populations have found religious practices to be associated with survival. However, no contemporary studies have examined whether religiosity influences survival among patients discharged from the hospital after an acute coronary syndrome (ACS). The present study examined the relationship between religious practices and 2-year all-cause mortality among hospital survivors of an ACS.

Methods: Patients hospitalized for an ACS were recruited from 6 medical centers in Massachusetts and Georgia between 2011 and 2013. Study participants self-reported three items assessing religiosity: strength/comfort from religion, petition prayers for health, and awareness of intercessory prayers by others. All cause-mortality within 2-years of hospital discharge was ascertained by review of medical records at participating study hospitals and from death certificates. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate the multivariable adjusted risk of 2-year all-cause mortality.

Results: Participants (n = 2,068) were on average 61 years old, 34% were women, and 81% were non-Hispanic White. Approximately 85% derived strength/comfort from religion, 61% prayed for their health, and 89% were aware of intercessions. Overall, 6% died within 2 years post-discharge. After adjusting for sociodemographic variables (age, sex, and race/ethnicity), petition prayers were associated with an increased risk of 2-year all-cause mortality (HR: 1.64; 95% CI: 1.01-2.66). With further adjustment for several clinical and psychosocial measures, this association was no longer statistically significant. Strength and comfort from religion and intercessory prayers were not significantly associated with mortality.

Conclusions: Most ACS survivors acknowledge deriving strength and comfort from religion, praying for their health, and intercessions made by others for their health. Although the reported religious practices were not associated with post-discharge survival after multivariable adjustment, acknowledging that patients utilize their religious beliefs and practices as strategies to improve their health would ensure a more holistic approach to patient management and promote cultural competence in healthcare.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Dr. David McManus receives sponsored research support from Bristol Myers Squibb, Pfizer, Biotronik, Boehringer Ingelheim, and has consulted for Bristol Myers Squibb, Pfizer, Samsung Electronics, and FlexCon. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials. The other authors declare no potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Fig 1
Fig 1. Kaplan-Meier survival curves for patients who survive at least 2 years after hospital discharge for an acute coronary syndrome according to the three measures of religiosity.
(A) No petition prayer for health/Petition prayer for health. (B) No intercessory prayer for health/Intercessory prayer for health. (C) Strength and comfort from religion (None, Some/Little, Great Deal).
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Daniel MK. Acute Coronary Syndromes: Morbidity, Mortality, and Pharmacoeconomic Burden. Am J Manag Care. 2009;15(suppl 15):S36–S41. - PubMed
    1. Yusuf S, Reddy S, Ounpuu S, Anand S. Global burden of cardiovascular diseases: part I: general considerations, the epidemiologic transition, risk factors, and impact of urbanization. Circulation. 2001;104:2746–2753. 10.1161/hc4601.099487 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Pocock S, Bueno H, Licour M, et al. Predictors of one-year mortality at hospital discharge after acute coronary syndromes: A new risk score from the EPICOR (long-tErm follow uP of antithrombotic management patterns In acute CORonary syndrome patients) study. Eur Heart J Acute Cardiovasc Care. 2015;4(6):509–517. 10.1177/2048872614554198 - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Boersma E, Pieper KS, Steyerberg EW, et al. Predictors of outcome in patients with acute coronary syndromes without persistent ST-segment elevation. Results from an international trial of 9461 patients. The PURSUIT Investigators. Circulation 2000; 101: 2557–2567. 10.1161/01.cir.101.22.2557 - DOI - PubMed
    1. Eagle KA, Lim MJ, Dabbous OH, et al. A validated prediction model for all forms of acute coronary syndrome: Estimating the risk of 6-month postdischarge death in an international registry. JAMA 2004; 291: 2727–2733. 10.1001/jama.291.22.2727 - DOI - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources