Depression and Anxiety in Hospitalized Heart Patients in a Tertiary Care Hospital in Lahore
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.47489/szmc.v40i1.883Keywords:
Heart disease, Depression, Anxiety, Hospitalized, Mental health, Cardiac PatientsAbstract
Background: Despite the prevalence of cardiac problems in Pakistan, the association of depression and anxiety amongst hospitalized heart patients is not well known. Mental health problems often turn out to be a hurdle in proper treatment and may lead to poor prognosis in cardiac. Proper assessment and interventions to deal with depression and anxiety are essential for better patient outcome.
Objective: The aim of this study is to assess the levels of depression and anxiety amongst patients hospitalized for heart disease in Lahore along with the factors affecting them.
Method: This was an analytical cross-sectional study conducted amongst cardiac patients hospitalized in Army Cardiac Center, Lahore from November to December 2024. The sample size was calculated to be 169. The technique employed was convenience sampling. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale by Zigmond and Snaith [9] was used to assess depression and anxiety levels in the patients. The association of gender, age occupation, education level and type of heart disease with levels of depression and anxiety was analyzed using SPSS version 29. Ethical approval was obtained from ORIC, CMH Lahore Medical College and IOD.
Results: A total of 169 results were utilized. 81.2% (137) of the respondents were male and 38%(32) were more than 60 years of age. Of all the patients, 68.8% (116) had normal levels of depression while 63% lied under normal levels of anxiety. 71.6%(121) of the patients had ischemic heart disease, 13.6%(23) had valvular disease while 10.7%(18) had arrhythmias. Sociodemographic factors like age, gender, occupation and education along with type of heart disease were found to be significantly associated with depression and anxiety levels in hospitalized cardiac patients. The association of levels of anxiety and depression were both independently found to be significantly associated with gender, age, occupation, and type of heart disease with p values of 0.000 using chi squared test.
Conclusion: A major proportion of hospitalized heart patients were found to be affected with borderline abnormal and abnormal levels of depression and anxiety. Thorough evaluation of patients for depression and anxiety levels is essential to provide them with proper care and for better patient outcomes.
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