Cardiophobia

Description:

Cardiophobia: (kardia – heart,  phobos – fear, fear).

The cardiophobia – one of naiboy widespread syndromes, and in some cases can become the reason of suffering which arrests the patient to a bed for a long time (days, months, years).

Normal cardiac performance is the most important factor of life of any person which allows to feel comfortable. However the uncertain concern and gradually increasing tension, alarm, suspiciousness and fear can become the reason of development of a cardiophobic state.

Manifestations of a cardiophobia depends on features of mentality of the patient, age and existence of the accompanying pathology of internals.

Distinguish 2 main types of a cardiophobia:

1. Caused by heartaches i.e. having manifestations from cardiovascular system.

2. Connected with a psychological condition of the patient (when the heartache does not disturb).

Cardiophobia reasons:

The alarm as manifestation or a consequence of the general neurosis can become the first option of emergence of a cardiophobia.

At the same time the slightest unpleasant feelings in heart or short-term disturbance of a rhythm as premature ventricular contraction (emergence of additional, extraordinary reductions of heart) owing to any situation injuring mentality (a stress, an overstrain, the conflict, etc.), and also the heart disease at any of relatives, can become the cardiophobia reason.

Very hypochondriac, pedantic people moreover and with slaboustoychivy mentality are subject to this type of a cardiophobia.

In the second case, at the heart of development of a cardiophobia, the heart disease, but in this case fear for the heart really lies,  it is so exaggerated and unreasonable that is beyond common sense. In case of a cardiophobia, even against the background of the existing heart disease, the painful fear which is felt by the patient is incommensurable and incomparable to usual human experiences.

For the patient with a cardiophobia, not feelings of fear for the heart, and directly feeling of the approaching death become a burdensome reality. And each heart attack of the patient transfers as the last, despite the fact that all previous attacks lasted from 1 to 10 minutes and came to an end after nitroglycerine reception.

Cardiophobia symptoms:

The cardiophobia can proceed by some options with a prevalence of symptoms of this or that disease.

1. Pseudo-rheumatic option of a cardiophobia (in a false manner rheumatic).

2. Pseudo-infarctive option of a cardiophobia (in a false manner infarctive).

3. Neurotic option of a cardiophobia.

And so we will consider the most frequent options of a cardiophobia:

Pseudo-rheumatic cardiophobia.

Pseudo-rheumatic cardiophobia (most frequent option of a cardiophobia).

The pseudo-rheumatic form of a cardiophobia according to complaints reminds a state at rheumatic heart disease and is shown by heartaches.

This form of a cardiophobia forms after frequent quinsies (adenoid disease) and most often forms against the background of the postponed rheumatism and a rheumatic carditis at any of relatives.

At the same time patients complain of a heartache, short wind, strong heartbeat, "interruptions" in heart and these manifestations are usually connected with an exercise stress, there can also be complaints to joint pains.

Development of pseudo-rheumatic option of a cardiophobia develops as follows:

At the patient who complains of various uncertain feelings from heart during certain researches (an ECG, ultrasonography of heart, biochemical analyses of blood) some changes reveal, body temperature can increase and be noted insignificant increase of heart rate. Then the patient to meet the seriously ill patient a rheumatic carditis or the suffering heart disease (the relative, the friend, the acquaintance or hears on TV). It as if transfers all these symptoms to itself(himself) and as under a cliche substitutes the feelings under someone else's diagnosis – wrong idea of the diagnosis forms! "And, maybe at me too most"?

Then such patient undergoes various inspections in many laboratories and clinics, persistently demands consultation of various specialists (as I already said how many doctors are so much also opinions) and here that and our patient gets to a trap which to itself and placed.

He just "squeezes out" from doctors or appoints to himself independently, the course of antirheumatic therapy also naturally does not gain medical effect because there was initially nothing to treat!

As a result the patient is convinced that he is seriously sick (time treatment does not help) and continues to live in fear for the health and life.  

The cardiophobia in this case very much influences social and private life of the person. Such patients often take unjustified sick-lists, refuse exercise stresses, intimate relations that has an adverse effect on the family relations. Such people narrow a focus of interest, friends and acquaintances, they thoroughly begin to study medical literature, watch transmissions about health, devote much time to healthy nutrition, buy up unnecessary drugs and dietary supplements and all this to struggle with a nonexistent disease and to prevent the fastest approach of death.

Pseudo-infarctive cardiophobia.

As is well-known people to be afraid of the most horrible diseases, namely those which are capable to lead to death (a myocardial infarction, a stroke, cancer, tuberculosis, AIDS).

the pseudo-infarctive form of a cardiophobia develops at those people who are familiar with a concept a myocardial infarction or at those whose relatives had a heart attack or could not endure it.

The pseudo-infarctive form of a cardiophobia is a complex of unpleasant feelings which are felt by the person waiting for development of a myocardial infarction in it. In other words is a fear to get a heart attack and to die.

If the person has any discomfort or pain in heart at him the fear of development of a heart disease, fear to get a myocardial infarction that in the subsequent begins to define its acts and the attitude towards the health which sometimes are even too exaggerated begins to form and dominate.

Such patients start carefully anew and to be inspected repeatedly, in parallel they are actively treated, try various "heart" medicines. Inspections and visit of the cardiologist reaches to the point of absurdity (to 1-2 weekly) to be quiet for the heart.  Such inspections as an ECG, ultrasonography of heart on which the patient insists more once a month already in itself suggests an idea of obsession of the patient on the to health that too is not really good (such patients in policlinics know by sight).

Throughout this time patients "listen" and "try to discover" at themselves new feelings and show all new and new complaints. The health of the patient at the same time does not change.

Those patients who against the background of fear for the heart really noted heartaches after the ordered treatment do not feel improvement, do not react to nitroglycerine reception in any way (though the classical heartache after reception of nitroglycerine passes in 2-5 minutes). On an ECG no pathological changes come to light.

Thus, there is obvious an explicit discrepancy between feelings of the most sick which are beyond a usual heartache and are capable to remind a heartache at cardiac pathology and data of inspection (an ECG, ultrasonography of heart, blood tests) when which carrying out do not come to light the slightest problems with cardiovascular system.

In 90% of cases a lot of things depend on the doctor who has to explain to the patient who addressed with a heavy heart that it is not necessary to be frightened, and it is necessary to conduct at first a number of researches which will help to find out the reason of a heartache since heart can hurt not only at stenocardia and a myocardial infarction.

There is some other diseases at which pain can be projected on heart, but not pose a direct threat for the patient's life.

It is possible to carry to such diseases:

Osteochondrosis of cervical and chest department of a backbone.
Intercostal neuralgia.
Shingles (herpes).
Left-side pneumonia.
State after alcohol intake (an alcoholic cardiomyopathy).
Condition of a climax (hormonal reorganizations).
Diseases of the alimentary system (the pancreatitis attack is more often).

So that the heartache is not necessarily connected with a heart disease. It is important to explain well to the patient what is with him? and jointly to develop the plan of further inspection and to tell that as a result of correctly picked up treatment the heartache will be liquidated, but not at once and at first pain can remain that it not a scarecrow of the patient.


Symptoms of a pseudo-infarctive cardiophobia.

Often the first heart attack arises sharply, after that the disease gains recurrent character (often repeating) character. During the subsequent attacks the fear and feeling of delay of cardiac performance with the subsequent its stop appears. Against the background of an attack face reddening is noted, the neck and an upper part of a trunk becomes covered by red spots, heartbeat and breath becomes frequent, sharp perspiration appears.

Patients are very uneasy, groan, rush about about the room, beds, call in ambulance and demand assistance and insist on immediate hospitalization with the subsequent treatment.

Treatment of a cardiophobia:

To help itself to cope with this serious condition and to live quietly, really estimating a condition of own health, it is necessary to be treated at one rheumatologist or the cardiologist. In this case the doctor always remembers each trifle concerning your heart, he is aware of your experiences, will be able always to calm and encourage. Many patients aim to conduct researches which by it were not appointed. It is not necessary to do it, there is quite enough of what is appointed by the specialist treating you. It is also necessary to address the psychotherapist who will appoint the adequate treatment capable to save from a cardiophobia.