In search of optimal treatment for nonischemic ventricular arrhythmia in patients with anxiety disorders

Abstract

AIM: To assess whether arrhythmias may be corrected with the anxiolytic Adaptol in subjects with anxiety disorders. /MATERIAL AND METHODS: On the basis of the data of psychological and mental testing (Stroop test) and the results of Holter monitoring, the authors selected among 59 patients with non-coronarogenic ventricular arrhythmias (VA) and an inadequate response to antiarrhythmic therapy 21 patients with manifest anxiety disorders, in whom a psychogenic factor had played a significant role in the genesis of VA, which served as an indication for Adaptol use. Reexaminations were made 30 days after initiation of therapy with Adaptol 500 mg t.i.d /RESULTS: Adaptol used to treat VA in patients with high anxiety, unlike the controls, exerted a significant antiarrhythmic effect: the average daily and average hourly number of ventricular ectopic complexes significantly decreased while there were no changes in the control group (untreated with Adaptol). In 95% of the patients, the positive Stroop mental test became negative, i.e. it failed to provoke arrhythmia (р≤0.01), made test performance easy, and diminished a blood pressure response to the test. The number of patients with moderate and high situational anxiety decreased by 3 times (р≤0.01); the general condition improved in the majority of patients /CONCLUSION: The psychogenic factor plays a significant and sometimes determining role in the genesis of non-coronarogenic VA. When used alone and in combination with antiarrthythmics, Adaptol proved to be effective in treating non-coronarogenic VA in patients with higher anxiety.

Keywords

• ventricular arrhythmia
• antiarrhythmic effect
• anxiety disorders
• adaptol
• arrhythmia
• cardiac arrhythmias
• antiarrhythmic therapy