Mindfulness therapy for patients with coronary heart disease: A systematic review and meta-analysis

AimCoronary heart disease (CHD) is a prevalent cardiovascular disease with high mortality rates worldwide. Patients with CHD often experience adverse psychological stress related to the disease's diagnosis, treatment and recovery phases. This stress can hurt sleep quality and overall quality of life. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have been studied as a psychotherapeutic approach to alleviating the psychological stress associated with CHD. This study aimed to determine the effectives of MBIs for health outcomes in patients with CHD.MethodsA total of eight English-language databases were searched, and eight relevant studies were included in the analysis. The included studies were assessed for literature quality, and data were extracted and analysed using Review Manager 5.3.ResultsA total of eight studies involving 802 participants were included in the analysis. Compared to control groups, MBIs significantly reduced anxiety, depression, perceived stress, and systolic blood pressure. However, there was no significant effect on diastolic blood pressure, quality of life or body mass index. One study reported that MBIs significantly improved sleep quality in patients with acute myocardial infarction after percutaneous coronary intervention but had no significant effect on body mass index.ConclusionMBIs had significant effects on anxiety and depression in patients with CHD, reduced perceived stress and were associated with reductions in systolic blood pressure and improvements in sleep quality. However, they did not significantly affect diastolic blood pressure, quality of life or body mass index. What is already known about this topic? Coronary heart disease (CHD) is a leading cause of death globally. Patients with CHD experience psychological stress due to diagnosis, treatment and recovery. Mindfulness-based interventions (MBIs) have shown promise in reducing stress in various populations.What this paper adds: This meta-analysis investigated the effectiveness of MBIs for psychological outcomes in CHD patients. Our analysis of eight studies found MBIs significantly reduced anxiety, depression and perceived stress compared to controls. Additionally, MBIs were associated with lower systolic blood pressure and improved sleep quality in some studies. However, MBIs did not significantly impact diastolic blood pressure, quality of life or body mass index.The implications of this paper: Our findings suggest MBIs may be a valuable tool for managing psychological distress and improving some physiological outcomes in patients with CHD. Further research is needed to explore the long-term effects of MBIs and their impact on other relevant outcomes in CHD patients.