Severity of Brugada syndrome disease manifestation and risk of new-onset depression or anxiety: a Danish nationwide study

Camilla H B Jespersen*, Johanna Krøll, Priya Bhardwaj, Bo Gregers Winkel, Peter Karl Jacobsen, Christian Jøns, Jens Haarbo, Jens Kristensen, Jens Brock Johansen, Berit T Philbert, Sam Riahi, Christian Torp-Pedersen, Lars Køber, Jacob Tfelt-Hansen, Peter E Weeke

*Corresponding author for this work

Abstract

AIMS: Reduced psychological health is associated with adverse patient outcomes and higher mortality. We aimed to examine if a Brugada syndrome (BrS) diagnosis and symptomatic disease presentation were associated with an increased risk of new-onset depression or anxiety and all-cause mortality.

METHODS AND RESULTS: All Danish patients diagnosed with BrS (2006-2018) with no history of psychiatric disease and available for ≥6 months follow-up were identified using nationwide registries and followed for up to 5 years after diagnosis. The development of clinical depression or anxiety was evaluated using the prescription of medication and diagnosis codes. Factors associated with developing new-onset depression or anxiety were determined using a multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression model. Disease manifestation was categorized as symptomatic (aborted cardiac arrest, ventricular tachycardia, or syncope) or asymptomatic/unspecified at diagnosis. A total of 223 patients with BrS and no history of psychiatric disease were identified (72.6% male, median age at diagnosis 46 years, 45.3% symptomatic). Of these, 15.7% (35/223) developed new-onset depression or anxiety after BrS diagnosis (median follow-up 5.0 years). A greater proportion of symptomatic patients developed new-onset depression or anxiety compared with asymptomatic patients [21/101 (20.8%) and 14/122 (11.5%), respectively, P = 0.08]. Symptomatic disease presentation (HR 3.43, 1.46-8.05) and older age (lower vs. upper tertile: HR 4.41, 1.42-13.63) were significantly associated with new-onset depression or anxiety. All-cause mortality in this group of patients treated according to guidelines was low (n = 4, 1.8%); however, 3/4 developed depression or anxiety before death.

CONCLUSION: Approximately, one-sixth of patients with BrS developed new-onset depression or anxiety following a diagnosis of BrS. Symptomatic BrS disease manifestation was significantly associated with new-onset depression or anxiety.

Keywords

  • Anxiety/diagnosis
  • Brugada Syndrome/diagnosis
  • Death, Sudden, Cardiac/etiology
  • Denmark/epidemiology
  • Depression/diagnosis
  • Electrocardiography/methods
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Risk Assessment/methods

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