Depression and Anxiety Before and After Cardiac Rehabilitation: Comparing Patients With and Without Spontaneous Coronary Artery Dissection

It is unclear whether patients with spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) are similarly distressed or derive the same psychologic benefits from participating in cardiac rehabilitation (CR) as patients who had a myocardial infarction (MI) without SCAD. In this matched retro-spective case-control study, the proportion of patients with SCAD reporting elevated anxiety was twice that of their non-SCAD counterparts; CR did not produce significant improvements in anxiety. Depression scores were similar between groups, and improvement was observed with CR participation. Targeted anxiety-based interventions may be needed to improve CR benefits and patient recovery.

Automated summary

It is uncertain whether SCAD patients experience similar distress or derive the same psychological benefits from participating in CR as MI patients. This case-control study found that the proportion of SCAD patients reporting elevated anxiety was twice that of non-SCAD patients; CR did not lead to significant improvements in anxiety. Depression scores were similar between groups, and improvement was observed with CR participation. Targeted anxiety-based interventions may be necessary to enhance CR benefits and patient recovery.