Anxiety and Cardiology: A Systematic Review

Abstract

Heart diseases are potentially fatal pathologies considered a risk factor for anxiety disorders. This paper aims to present a systematic literature review on anxiety in cardiology. Five databases were selected: Scielo, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and PubMed. The descriptors "cardiologia" and "ansiedade" and their equivalents in English, "anxiety" and "cardiology" were used. The inclusion criteria were papers published in Portuguese, English, or Spanish between 2017 and 2021. Twenty-six studies were selected, and four topics stood out: socio-demographic profile, anxiety and cardiac rehabilitation, anxiety-related risk and protective factors, and anxiety and depression. The results indicate that healthy anxiety levels play a protective role in promoting patient self-care. However, maladaptive anxiety levels hinder patients from coping with the disease.