Generalised anxiety disorder doubles risk of cardiovascular events in people with stable coronary heart disease

Does generalised anxiety disorder (GAD) affect cardiovascular events associated with coronary heart disease (CHD)? Population: 1015 patients with stable coronary heart. Eligible patients had at least one of the following: history of myocardial infarction (MI), 50% stenosis in one or more coronary vessels (angiographic evidence), history of coronary revascularization, diagnosis of CHD or previous evidence of exercise-induced ischaemia (treadmill or nuclear testing). Setting: Medical centres and public health clinics in San Francisco, USA; September 2000 to December 2002. Prognostic factors: GAD according to Diagnostic Interview Schedule for DSM-IV criteria. Outcomes:
Cardiovascular events occurring between baseline and March 2009. Events included stroke, heart failure, MI, transient ischaemic attack or death. Heart failure was defined as hospitalisation for a clinical syndrome involving at least two of the following: orthopnoea, third heart sound, pulmonary rales, paroxysmal nocturnal dyspnoea, elevated jugular venous pressure, cardiomegaly or pulmonary oedema on chest radiography. Non-fatal MI was defined based on the presence of symptoms, electrocardiographic changes and cardiac enzymes using standard criteria.