Associations between cardiovascular diseases and psychosocial factors and options for intervention

Coronary artery disease is a highly prevalent heart disease and the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in devel-oped countries. During the last decades, numerous studies have focused on the comprehension of the relationship between coronary heart disease and different psychosocial factors. Coronary artery bypass graft surgery is a common treatment for coronary artery disease and is usually associated with improved clinical outcomes. Symptoms of anxi-ety and unipolar depression are common psychological disorders in patients awaiting coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Several prospective cohort studies have been carried out on the factors affecting the short-and long-term outcome of coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Scientific literature reports that not only clinical features, e.g., car -dial state, comorbidity or intraoperative factors influence the outcome of cardiac surgery. In a comprehension of psychosocial factors over traditional risk factors (hypertension, LDL cholesterol level, diabetes mellitus, smoking, obesity and physical inactivity) on morbidity and mortality rates, the previously mentioned ones proved to be deter-minant. Gathering patients' psychological status before undergoing heart surgery and providing psychological inter-ventions if they are indicated would be beneficial. A better understanding of whether and when psychological inter-ventions affect specific outcomes may help design even more powerful interventions and make better predictions of which patients will benefit from which psychological intervention. Psychological assessment and intervention thus merit integration into routine surgical care.