Elsevier

American Heart Journal

Volume 108, Issue 2, August 1984, Pages 237-248
American Heart Journal

Alteration of type A behavior and reduction in cardiac recurrences in postmyocardial infarction patients

https://doi.org/10.1016/0002-8703(84)90606-9Get rights and content

Abstract

Eight hundred sixty-two postmyocardial infarction patients volunteered to be randomly selected and enrolled into: (1) a control section of 270 patients, who received group cardiologic counseling; and (2) an experimental section of 592 patients, who received group type A behavior counseling in addition to group cardiologic counseling. Reduction in type A behavior at the end of 3 years was observed in 43.8% of the 592 participants, who initially were enrolled to receive group cardiologic and type A behavioral counseling. This degree of behavioral reduction was significantly greater than that observed in participants who initially were enrolled to receive only group cardiologic counseling. The 3-year cumulative cardiac recurrence rate was 7.2% in participants who initially were enrolled to receive group cardiologic and type A behavioral counseling. This was significantly less (p < 0.005) than that (13%) observed in participants who initially were enrolled to receive only cardiologic counseling. This difference in recurrence rates was due to a lesser incidence of nonfatal infarctions in the patients who had been enrolled in the section receiving type A behavioral as well as cardiologic counseling. These data suggest that type A behavior can be altered in a sizable fraction of postinfarction patients and that such alteration is associated with a significantly reduced rate of nonfatal myocardial infarctions.

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    Supported by grants from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (21427), Bank of America, Standard Oil of California, The Kaiser Hospital Foundation, and The Mary Potishman Lard Foundation (Fort Worth, Tex.).

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