Objectives: The purpose of this study was to investigate alexithymia in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) patients and its relationship with associated anxious-depressive co-morbidity.
Methods: We studied 71 participants: 30 consecutive patients with cardiac biomarkers and electrocardiographic criteria for acute myocardial infarction (AMI) in a coronary care unit, with a mean age of 65.23 ± 11.95 years (80% male) and a control group of 41 healthy subjects with a mean age of 62.85 ± 7.83 (46% male). We used the Identification Form (sociodemographic data) and clinical diagnostic, the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), the Symptom Check List – 90 Revised (SCL-90R) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).
Results: Results show that patients with acute myocardial infarction had alexithymia scores significantly higher (P = 0.000) than the control group (60.0 ± 12.8 vs 49.9 ± 8.91) and also higher scores in psychopathological traits screened by the SCL-90R, namely high levels of somatization and depression. We also observed a positive correlation between psychopathological symptoms and alexithymia. A significant prevalence of alexithymia was found in patients with AMI suggesting that psychopathological symptoms have a significant relation with alexithymia.
Conclusions: In this clinical setting the deficit of emotion expression points to the need of psychotherapeutic intervention in patients after an AMI event occurs, to improve prognosis and well-being.
Keywords: Acute myocardial infarction; alexithymia; psychopathology.