Illness perception and cardiovascular risk factors in patients with myocardial infarction undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention in Iran

Abstract

Background Knowing of perception of the illness, and cardiovascular risk factors in patients with myocardial infarction is crucial in engaging in effective secondary prevention. This study aimed to examine illness perception and cardiovascular risk factors in patients with myocardial infarction undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention. Methods The participants comprised 131 patients undergoing a first-time percutaneous coronary intervention at a metropolitan, tertiary referral hospital in Tabriz, Iran. The convenience sampling method was employed to select the research sample within a six-month period. The instruments used were as follows: (1) Demographic and health information form, (2) The Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire (3) The Health Risk Assessment framework developed by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The design of the study was descriptive, cross sectional. The continuous variables were analyzed using Independent t-test and analysis of variance (ANOVA); and categorical variables were compared using the chi-square test. Results Most participants had a positive family history of cardiovascular disease (54.2%), with 66.4% of participants having at least one cardiovascular risk factor such as diabetes (36.6%) hypertension (32.8%) and dyslipidemia (16%). Most participants were physically inactive (78.6%), about 48.9% were overweight, 34.4% suffered from obesity and 26% were smokers. Illness perception in this study was seen to be high (6.21), with highest scores occurring in the illness control dimension (6.83) and lowest scores occurring in the understanding dimension (3.77). There was a significant relationship between illness perception and physical activity, nutrition, sleep and general health. Direct significant relationships between biometric values (cholesterol, glucose, blood pressure); psychological factors (depression, anxiety and stress) and illness perception were also found to exist. Conclusions Low scores in two dimensions of illness perception may lead to psychological consequences such as stress, anxiety, and depression. The relationship between illness perception and some risk factors of cardiovascular disease such as physical activity, diet and biometric values, reveal the need for more attention to patient education and counselling.

Cardiovascular disease risk perceptions and influencing factors among Chinese systemic lupus erythematosus patients

“…This is similar to the results of previous studies. 47,48 Studies have confirmed that mood affects people's risk perceptions, with people perceiving relatively less risk when in a positive mood and more risk when in a negative mood. 49 Therefore, healthcare workers should identify depressed patients early and enhance attention and intervention for psychological problems.…”

Perceived social support among percutaneous coronary intervention patients over a long‐term follow‐up period

“…Previous evidence shows that although CHD patients receive information about risk factors, support is critical for adherence to treatment (Kähkönen et al., 2020; Nicolai et al., 2018; Shi et al., 2022). Patients often perceive the PCI procedure as a curative treatment and that their illness is acute rather than chronic (Ashour et al., 2020); these perceptions have been shown to be associated with adverse outcomes (Thagizadeh et al., 2022) and poor adherence to treatment (Kähkönen et al., 2017).…”

“…A lack of social support has related to anxiety and depression (Hu et al, 2022;Thagizadeh et al, 2022;Zhang, 2021), which may affect a person's health indirectly through unhealthy behaviours or directly via physiological mechanisms (Freak-Poli et al, 2022;Hu et al, 2022;Zhang, 2021). For this reason, versatile support is needed during post-PCI recovery.…”

“…It has been suggested that social support benefits adherence to a healthier lifestyle (Hu et al., 2022; Shi et al., 2022); for example, people who experience higher levels of social support are more physically active (Resurrección et al., 2019; Shi et al., 2022), and they demonstrate better adherence to the self‐care recommendations (Shi et al., 2022). Social support is connected to both mental health (Sun et al., 2022; Thagizadeh et al., 2022; Zhang, 2021) and an individual's perceived physical health (Kim, Kim, et al., 2019; Kim, Lim, et al., 2019), as well as related to certain physiological factors such as cardiac responses to acute stress and blood pressure control (Thagizadeh et al., 2022), stimulation of the autonomic nervous system and plaque‐destabilizing factors (Huang et al., 2022). A lack of social support has related to anxiety and depression (Hu et al., 2022; Thagizadeh et al., 2022; Zhang, 2021), which may affect a person's health indirectly through unhealthy behaviours or directly via physiological mechanisms (Freak‐Poli et al., 2022; Hu et al., 2022; Zhang, 2021).…”

Illness perception, self-efficacy, health literacy, adherence, and quality of life in patients with intermittent claudication – a longitudinal cohort study

“…19 Studies have shown associations between illness perception and adherence to secondary prevention in patients with coronary heart disease. 20,21…”