New possibilities of screening for mental disorders in cardiology practice

Abstract

Aim of the study: validation of novel algorithm for screening of mental comorbidity in general medical practice. Based on retrospectively formed registry of patients, we assessed an effectiveness of the previously proposed Psycho-cardiac comorbidity Index. An external validation was provided, with subgroup analysis on cohort of patients who presented with suspected “Non-ST-elevation acute coronary syndrome” (N = 577), with assessment of psychopharmacotherapy prescription rate and prevalence of anxiety and depression. Another validation was carried out via comparison with patients with verified mental disorders (N = 235). A positive association was found between magnitude of Psycho-cardiac comorbidity index and Hospital anxiety and depression subscales (r = 0.26, p < 0.001 for anxiety subscale, r = 0.17, p = 0.026 for depression subscale), over-diagnosis of acute coronary syndrome at pre-hospital stage (r = –0.27, p < 0.0001), as well as with neurotic, affective and somatoform mental disorders (average Index 8.59 vs. 7.52 points, U = 6040.5, p = 0.041). The found pattern may be useful for clinicians for screening for patients who require a multidisciplinary approach to diagnosis and treatment.