Cardiology
General Cardiology
The Perception of Cardiac Activity in Medical OutpatientsBarsky A.J.a,b · Cleary P.D.c · Brener J.a · Ruskin J.N.e,fDepartments of aPsychiatry, Harvard Medical School, bPsychiatry Service , Massachusetts General Hospital, cHealth Care Policy and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Mass., dPsychology, State University of New York at Stony Brook, N.Y., eMedicine, Harvard Medical School, fMedical Service (Cardiac Unit), Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Mass., USA
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Article / Publication Details
Received: August 20, 1993
Accepted: September 03, 1993
Published online: November 18, 2008
Issue release date: 1993
Number of Print Pages: 12
Number of Figures: 0
Number of Tables: 0
ISSN: 0008-6312 (Print)
eISSN: 1421-9751 (Online)
For additional information: https://www.karger.com/CRD
Abstract
This study compared several measures of cardiac perception and related them to patient’ spontaneous reports of palpitations. One hundred and forty-five ambulatory patients referred for Holter monitoring for the evaluation of palpitations were compared with 70 asymptomatic nonpatients. Reports of palpitations during monitoring were compared with the ECG to determine whether they coincided with an arrhythmia. Subjects also completed a heartbeat detection task to determine whether they were accurately aware of cardiac systole while at rest. 20.7% of palpitation patients and 4.7% of asymptomatic controls demonstrated an accurate awareness of resting heartbeat (p = 0.01). Performance was unrelated to bodily amplification, somatization, hypochondriacal symptoms, ECG findings, or psychiatric morbidity. 34.3% of palpitation patients reported symptoms that consistently coincided with arrhythmias on ECG. These accurate patients had significantly lower levels of amplification, somatization, hypochondriacal symptoms, and psychiatric morbidity. Accuracy of symptom reporting and accuracy of heartbeat awareness were not statistically associated. Although accurate awareness of resting heartbeat appears to be unrelated to medical experiences and psychiatric status, the accurate perception of arrhythmias during daily activity is inversely correlated with clinical variables such as somatization and psychiatric distress.
© 1993 S. Karger AG, Basel
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Article / Publication Details
Received: August 20, 1993
Accepted: September 03, 1993
Published online: November 18, 2008
Issue release date: 1993
Number of Print Pages: 12
Number of Figures: 0
Number of Tables: 0
ISSN: 0008-6312 (Print)
eISSN: 1421-9751 (Online)
For additional information: https://www.karger.com/CRD
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