Atrial Fibrillation
Conditions
Keywords
Symptom preoccupation, Atrial fibrillation, Quality of Life, Cardiac anxiety
Brief summary
A cross-sectional study (N=400) will investigate the prevalence of symptom preoccupation and its role in AF-related disability. Subjectively-rated assessments will be gathered from 400 AF patients.
Detailed description
In the present study we aim to investigate symptom preoccupation in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF) to further improve the understanding of the role of psychological factors in AF-related disability. A cross-sectional study (N=400) will investigate the prevalence of symptom preoccupation and its role in AF-related disability. Subjectively-rated assessments will be gathered from 400 AF patients.
Interventions
None listed
Sponsors
Karolinska Institutet
Study design
Observational model
OTHER
Time perspective
OTHER
Eligibility
Sex/Gender
ALL
Age
18 Years to No maximum
Inclusion criteria
* 18 years of age * Diagnoses with AF * Able to read Swedish and access to computer
Exclusion criteria
\-
Design outcomes
Primary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| [Time Frame: From baseline to 12 weeks] Atrial Fibrillation Effect on Quality-of-Life (AFEQT) | Baseline | AFEQT is an atrial fibrillation-specific measure that taps into the QoL-domains: symptoms, daily activities, treatment concern, and treatment satisfaction. The scale has 20 items, with the total score ranging from 0 (severe symptoms and disability) to 100 (no symptoms and disability), with responses provided on a seven-point rating scale from no limitations/symptoms to severe limitations/symptoms. |
Secondary
| Measure | Time frame | Description |
|---|---|---|
| Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) | Baseline | Measures depressive symptoms on nine items scoring from 0 (not at all) to 3 (nearly every day) per item. Scores were categorized as follows: zero to minimal depressive symptoms (0-4), mild to moderate depressive symptoms (5-10), or severe depressive symptoms (10 or above). |
| The Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) | Baseline | The Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7) scale measures the severity of worry and anxiety. In healthy controls, the mean score was 4.9 (SD=4.8); a score of 10 or greater on the scale corresponds to a cut-off point for identifying cases of GAD. |
| Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI) | Baseline | Measure of anxiety sensitivity |
| Bodily Sensation Questionnaire (BSQ) | Baseline | Fear of bodily sensations |
| The University of Toronto Atrial Fibrillation Severity Scale (AFSS) | Baseline | AFSS will assess AF symptoms and how affected the patient is by AF-specific symptoms such as dyspnea, palpitations etc. The AF symptom score ranges from 0-35 with a higher score indicating higher symptom severity. |
| Cardiac Anxiety Questionnaire (CAQ) | Baseline | It an 18-item scale that measures cardiac anxiety by three subscales fear (e.g., When my heart is beating fast I get frightened avoidance (e.g., I avoid exercise or other physical work) and attention (e.g., I pay attention to my heart beat). The responses are given on a four-point Likert scale ranging from 0 (never) to 4 (always), a greater score indicates greater cardiac anxiety. |
| Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-4) | Baseline | To assess stress sensitivity and perception of stress. Each item is rated on a five-point scale and a higher score corresponds to more perceived stress. |
| World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule (WHODAS) | Baseline | WHODAS is a reliable and well validated measure of general health and disability. We use the version consisting of 12-items evaluating six domains: cognition, mobility, self-care, getting along, life activities and life participation. Each item is rated on a 5-point scale, with higher scores indicating increased disability. |
| AF behaviors | Baseline | Checklist of behaviors related to AF |
| Demographics | Baseline | Demographics |
| Medical history | Baseline | Comorbidities, medication, medical history |
| The Symptoms Checklist, Frequency and Severity Scale (SCL) | Baseline | SCL is a disease specific checklist used to measure AF-related symptoms (e.g., palpitations, dizziness) on two subscales: symptom severity (mild to extreme; 16 items, scores ranging from 0 to 48) and symptom frequency (never to always; 16 items, scores ranging from 0 to 64) over the past four weeks. Higher scores correlate with more frequent and severe symptoms. |
Countries
Sweden
Outcome results
None listed