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. 2023 Jan 18:13:1066224.
doi: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1066224. eCollection 2022.

Prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms in a sample of outpatients with ATTR cardiac amyloidosis

Martina Smorti  1 , Lucia Ponti  2   3 , Francesco Soffio  1 , Alessia Argirò  3   4 , Federico Perfetto  4   5 , Mattia Zampieri  3   4 , Carlotta Mazzoni  3 , Alessia Tomberli  3 , Marco Allinovi  5 , Carlo Di Mario  6 , Iacopo Olivotto  3 , Francesco Cappelli  4   6
Affiliations

Prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms in a sample of outpatients with ATTR cardiac amyloidosis

Martina Smorti et al. Front Psychol. .

Abstract

Patients with ATTR cardiac amyloidosis (ATTR-CA) face rare disease that could negatively influence psychological well-being with consequences on the course of the disease and quality of life. However, to date, no study analyzed the prevalence of anxiety and depression in patients with ATTR-CA and which clinical and sociodemographic characteristics are linked with these psychopathological conditions. A total of 109 consecutive patients (83% males) aged 62-90 years with ATTR-CA were recruited. In order to better understand the prevalence of anxiety and depression in ATTR-CA, a control group composed by 33 individuals equaling gender, education, and age were recruited. The level of anxiety and depression was measured using the Italian version of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Sociodemographic and clinic characteristics were registered. Almost half of patients (49%) reported a clinical level of depression or anxiety, or both. ATTR-CA patients reported higher levels of anxiety and depression than control group. Results showed that older patients with ATTR-CA, especially females, with more advanced disease could be more at risk to develop an anxious disorder. Furthermore, being a woman, and presenting with a greater severity of symptoms, would appear to be a risk factor for developing a depressive disorder. Overall, these results highlighted the high presence of anxiety and depression in ATTR-CA patients, suggesting to physicians to pay attention to the psychological well-being of ATTR-CA patients. In fact, a psychological support for patients with high level of psychopathological disease could reduce disease burden and improve quality of life in ATTR-CA population.

Keywords: anxiety; cardiac amyloidosis; clinical characteristics; depression; psychological well-being; sociodemographic characteristics.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Clinical and non-clinical subjects according to HADS. Prevalence of anxiety and depression and both anxiety and depression are reported.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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