Religion and Medicine – ABC CARDIOL

IJCS

Editorial

Is Spirituality a New or Renewed Tool?

Editorial referring to the article: Religiosity and Spirituality: The Relationship Between Psychosocial Factors and Cardiovascular Health

The topic of spirituality and religiosity has become more prevalent in scientific publications and clinical practice. Researchers recognize that studying this area can lead to a better understanding of physiology and potential therapeutic interventions. There are even discussions about establishing a prognosis based on spirituality and religiosity, and we are finding evidence related to this topic.

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IJCS

Original Article

Religiosity and Spirituality: The Relationship Between Psychosocial Factors and Cardiovascular Health

José Icaro Nunes Cruz et al. Adelle Cristine Lima Cardozo Enaldo Vieira de Melo Juliana Maria Chianca Lira … Giulia Vieira Santos Gabriela de Oliveira Salazar Bruna Oliveira Mariano César de Souza Reis Diego Maldini Borba de Lima Philipi Santos Soares Antônio Carlos Sobral Sousa Joselina Luzia Menezes Oliveira

Abstract

Background:

Religiosity and Spirituality (R/S), despite being different entities, are multidimensional constructs, whose influence on cardiovascular health has been increasingly studied in recent decades.

Objectives:

To discriminate patients into subgroups according to R/S levels, in order to compare them regarding the distribution of cardiovascular comorbidities and clinical events.

Methods:

This is an observational, cross-sectional, analytical study. Two R/S scales were applied to a sample of patients seen at cardiology outpatient clinics. A cluster analysis was used to discriminate individuals into subgroups regarding R/S levels, which were subsequently compared regarding the frequencies of clinical variables related to cardiovascular health. A significance level of 5% was set for the statistical tests.

Results:

The sample included 237 patients with a mean age of 60.8 years (±10.7), of which 132 were female (55.7%). Cluster analysis (C) distinguished two groups: C1, with lower levels of R/S, and C2, with higher levels of R/S (p<0.001). C2 had a lower frequency of alcohol consumption (29.5% vs. 76.0%; p<0.001), smoking (12.9% vs. 51.0%; p<0.001), systemic arterial hypertension (SAH — 65.5% vs. 82.3%; p=0.005), dyslipidemia (58.3% vs. 77.1%; p=0.003), chronic coronary syndrome (36.7% vs. 58.3%; p=0.001), and prior cardiovascular events (15.8% vs. 36.5%; p<0.001) when compared to C1. There was also a higher frequency of females in C2 (82.0% vs. 17.7%; p<0.001).

Conclusions:

A better cardiovascular morbidity profile was observed in the group of patients with higher R/S levels, suggesting a probable positive relationship between R/S and cardiovascular health.