Understanding the Burden of Depression and Anxiety in Myocardial Infarction (MI) Patients: Findings From a Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

TL;DR

This study finds that depression and anxiety are common after heart attacks but often overlooked, highlighting the need for better psychological support.

Contribution

The study provides updated pooled prevalence estimates of depression and anxiety in MI patients using a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Findings

Depression affects about 34% of myocardial infarction patients based on pooled data.

Anxiety prevalence is estimated at 28.5%, though with high uncertainty due to limited studies.

Both conditions are under-recognized, emphasizing the need for routine psychological screening.

Abstract

Psychological disturbances are very common after myocardial infarction (MI) and can slow recovery. We did a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA)-based search in Cochrane, Web of Science, PubMed, and Scopus till August 2023 using terms (Depression OR anxiety) AND ((Myocardial AND infarction) OR MI). Studies on adults reporting post-MI depression or anxiety with any design were included. Animal studies, abstracts only, and irrelevant designs were excluded. Due to high heterogeneity, a random-effects model was used. A total of 13 studies were analyzed (n=4730 for depression, n=1256 for anxiety). Depression was seen in 1217 patients, with a pooled prevalence of 0.341 (95% CI: 0.214-0.467, I²=99.22%). Anxiety was seen in 206 patients, with a pooled prevalence of 0.285 (95% CI: -0.059-0.630, I²=98.85%). A wide CI for anxiety is due to extreme heterogeneity and few studies, not true negative prevalence. Findings show that depression and anxiety remain frequent but still under-recognized after MI, stressing the need for routine screening and early psychological support in post-MI care.

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