Social Conditions – ABC CARDIOL

IJCS

Editorial

Sociodemographic Disparities in Acute Myocardial Infarction in Rio de Janeiro State

Brivaldo Markman-Filho et al. Liana Gonçalves-Macedo

Cardiovascular diseases, particularly coronary artery disease (CAD), continue to occupy a prominent position with regard to morbidity and mortality in the modern world. Acute myocardial infarction (AMI), the main pathology resulting from acute myocardial ischemia, persists with significant mortality rates in both developed and developing countries, despite significant advances in established protocols aimed at myocardial reperfusion. Diagnosis of AMI, as well as its subtypes, has been consistently updated through consensus. These updates have aimed to provide uniformity in the diagnosis and treatment of the pathology, in an attempt to reduce the disastrous impact of this disease on the population.

The concept of cardiovascular risk factors is linked to the development of coronary atherosclerosis and was developed from the Framingham Heart Studies in the United States, which began during the 1940s. Questions remained, however, as to whether these risk factors were common across all continents. Subsequently, a case-control study demonstrated that such risk factors were associated with the appearance of a first AMI, in all countries, irrespective of the country’s level of development. The study also concluded that a healthy diet with fruits and vegetables, moderate consumption of alcohol, regular physical activity, and a reduction of stress and depression all proved to be protective factors against AMI. Furthermore, understanding the sociodemographic factors that are possibly involved in the occurrence of AMI as a cause of hospitalization and in-hospital death may be of assistance in planning public health policies, directing attention toward segments of the population of interest.

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IJCS

Original Article

Validation of the Brazilian Version of the Screening Tool for Psychosocial Distress (Stop-D) for Cardiac Patients

Isabella Barros Rabelo Gontijo et al. Juciléia Rezende Souza Daniel Fernandes Barbosa Salvador Rassi

Abstract

Background:

Distress has a potentiating effect on complications of heart disease. Early identification of distress and psychosocial management could help patients to deal with the disease and improve their quality of life. However, in Brazil, there is no specific instrument for evaluation of distress in cardiac patients.

Objectives:

To describe the validation process of the Screening Tool for Psychosocial Distress (STOP-D) for the Brazilian population.

Methods:

Cross-sectional, observational study with a quantitative approach. A total of 144 patients (including outpatients and inpatients) were interviewed at the waiting room of the outpatient cardiology clinic or in cardiology wards. Sociodemographic and clinical data were collected, and distress was assessed using two instruments – the Brazilian version of the STOP-D and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). First, we performed an exploratory factor analysis and analysis of the accuracy of the STOP-D score by the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curvet.

Results:

The factorability analysis of the correlation matrix did not detect any factor that made the factorial solution unfeasible. The instrument showed a single-factor nature, confirmed by the criterion of eigenvalues, with an 85% accuracy in predicting distress. A cut-off point of 15.5 was chosen for distress using the ROC curve.

Conclusions:

The Brazilian version of the STOP-D is an adequate instrument for the screening of heart disease patient for distress. It can be easily used by any health professional and would contribute to the promotion of a comprehensive support to cardiac patients.