Association of depression and anxiety with ischemic heart diseases among adults in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia 2022

Abstract

Background: Depression is a serious mental disorder that can negatively impact the daily function of many individuals. Many chronic disorders and physiological imbalances can be the result of psychiatric illnesses and vice versa. Our aim of this study is to determine the relationship between Psychological Disorders and Ischemic heart diseases among adults in Saudi Arabia in 2022. Methods: A cross-sectional study. The target population was adults 18 years old and over and the sample size of 304 adults. The data were collected between April 2022 and June 2022 in Riyadh, KSA. Questionnaires were distributed to participants who meet the criteria to determine the relationship between psychological disorders and ischemic heart diseases. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale was used in both Arabic and English. The data was cleared, coded and entered through SPSS software. Results: Of 304 participants, only 5 were previously diagnosed with ischemic heart disease (IHD). 1% of those participants had abnormal results in the HADS anxiety section. (P=0.16) Furthermore, in the depression section of the HADS, 0.7% had abnormal results. (P=0.14) None of the participants with an IHD diagnosis had borderline abnormal results in either section of the HADS. Conclusion:The number of participants who were previously diagnosed with ischemic heart disease was limited. Despite that, an association between psychological disorders including anxiety and depression with ischemic heart disease was found using the HADS. Further and larger studies are required to establish a clearer relationship.