Chest pain and behavior in suspected coronary artery disease.

This study assessed behavioral activity, dietary and emotional variables among patient cohorts with angina pectoris, atypical chest pain, and no chest pain in whom coronary disease is suspected. Questionnaire responses of 3,899 employed male patients at the time of coronary arteriography were analyzed. Patients with angina pectoris had high levels of coronary-prone and neurotic attitudes, and fatigue variables including feeling unrested on awakening, easy fatiguability, reducing activity at work and arriving home tired. Atypical chest pain patients showed coronary-prone and neurotic attitudes similar to the angina pectoris group but had less coronary occlusion and lower levels of fatigue variables. Compared to the other groups, atypical chest pain patients were more likely to skip breakfast and showed a trend to eat fast. These findings suggest that including assessment of activity levels, fatiguability, eating behavior, neurotic traits and coronary-prone attitudes at time of coronary arteriography can have some limited value for patients with chest pain who may seek cardiac treatment but could benefit from alternative approaches.