PSYCHOLOGICAL-ASPECTS OF RECURRENT CHEST PAIN

Of 113 consecutive patients admitted recurrently with chest pain 28% e xhibited psychiatric morbidity using the GHQ-28 (General Health Questi onnaire). Eighty patients had ischaemic heart disease, 17 had non-spec ific pain and 13 were excluded because of other organic causes for the ir pain. Of the non-specific group, seven had been admitted previously with chest pain. In common with previous studies of first admissions with non-specific chest pain, recurrent admissions were younger and pr edominantly male. They also had a history of greater alcohol and cigar ette use than patients with ischaemic heart disease. Greater psychiatr ic morbidity was not demonstrated in this small group of patients. In spite of the absence of an organic aetiology, patients with non-specif ic pain showed similar rates of re-admission to those with ischaemic h eart disease before and after the study. Further research is indicated to identify aetiological and maintaining factors for continued non-sp ecific pain.