Retrospective Study
Copyright ©The Author(s) 2025. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Psychiatry. Apr 19, 2025; 15(4): 100281
Published online Apr 19, 2025. doi: 10.5498/wjp.v15.i4.100281
Analysis of epidemiological characteristics and psychopsychological factors of arrhythmia in the elderly
Hong-Wei Zhang, Guo-Dong Chang, Xue-Meng Liu, Hui Gao, Xiu-Dan Xu, Su-Ying Lv
Hong-Wei Zhang, Guo-Dong Chang, Xue-Meng Liu, Hui Gao, Xiu-Dan Xu, Su-Ying Lv, Department of Arrhythmia, Shangqiu First People’s Hospital, Shangqiu 476100, Henan Province, China
Author contributions: Zhang HW wrote the paper; Zhang HW and Lv SY designed the research; Zhang HW, Chang GD, Liu XM, Gao H, and Xu XD performed the research; Zhang HW and Lv SY analyzed the data; and all authors made substantial intellectual contributions to this paper.
Institutional review board statement: This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Shangqiu First People’s Hospital, No. 2023-0901.
Informed consent statement: Patients were not required to give informed consent to the study because the analysis used anonymous clinical data that were obtained after each patient agreed to treatment by written consent.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Data sharing statement: The data supporting this article will be shared upon reasonable request to the corresponding author.
Open Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Su-Ying Lv, Department of Arrhythmia, Shangqiu First People’s Hospital, No. 292 Kaixuan South Road, Suiyang District, Shangqiu 476100, Henan Province, China. dr1314555@163.com
Received: November 28, 2024
Revised: January 16, 2025
Accepted: February 21, 2025
Published online: April 19, 2025
Processing time: 117 Days and 2.9 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND

Irregular heart rhythms are a primary manifestation of cardiovascular disease, considerably contributing to global morbidity and mortality rates. Moreover, patients with cardiac arrhythmias often experience a higher prevalence of sleep disorders, anxiety, and depression owing to various factors.

AIM

To investigate the epidemiological characteristics and psychological factors associated with arrhythmia in the elderly and to establish a theoretical foundation for its prevention and treatment in older adults.

METHODS

A retrospective analysis was performed on 169 elderly patients admitted to the Shangqiu First People’s Hospital from December 2022 to December 2023. All subjects underwent 24-hour electrocardiogram monitoring to record heart rate, heart rate variability, and 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiogram data. Additionally, patients’ medical records were reviewed to gather information on their general condition, including age, gender, underlying diseases, and other relevant factors. Patients were divided into four groups based on their Hamilton Anxiety (HAMA) and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD) scores: Group A (HAMA scores ≥ 7), Group B (HAMD scores ≥ 7), Group C (both HAMA and HAMD scores ≥ 7), and Group D (HAMA and HAMD scores < 7). Psychological factors such as depression, anxiety, sleep status, and quality of life were analyzed. Pearson correlation was used to examine the relationship between scores from the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), HAMA/HAMD scales, and the Short Form 36-item Health Survey (SF-36) with the presence of arrhythmia.

RESULTS

Among the 169 patients, 87 (51.5%) had concurrent arrhythmia. Atrial arrhythmias constituted the largest proportion at 34.8% (30 out of 87), followed by sinus tachycardia at 24.1% (21 out of 87), and ventricular arrhythmias at 9.2% (8 out of 87). Factors such as advanced age, coronary heart disease, hypertension, smoking, exposure to secondhand smoke, and residing in rural areas significantly increased the risk of developing arrhythmia. There was a statistically significant difference between the two groups regarding PSQI, HAMA-14, HAMD-17, and SF-36 scores. Pearson correlation analysis revealed that PSQI, HAMA-14, and HAMD-17 scores were positively correlated with arrhythmia in the elderly, while the SF-36 score was negatively correlated. The anxiety, depression, and combined anxiety–depression groups exhibited significantly higher PSQI, HAMA-14, and HAMD-17 scores compared to the nonanxiety and non-depression group.

CONCLUSION

Arrhythmia among the elderly is primarily found in individuals with advanced age and existing health conditions. It is also linked to psychological factors such as depression, anxiety, reduced quality of life, and sleep disturbances.

Keywords: Arrhythmia in the elderly; Psychopsychological; Anxiety; Depression; Elderly

Core Tip: Arrhythmia is an important disease in cardiovascular disorders, which is expected to increase dramatically in the next decades owing to the prolongation of life expectancy and the improvements in diagnosis. Anxiety and depressive symptoms have been shown to increase with recurrent arrhythmic episodes and are associated with the severity of atrial fibrillation symptoms. This study aims to explore the epidemiological characteristics and psychological factors associated with arrhythmia in older adults.