Egil Jonsbu

Chest Pain and Palpitations in a Cardiac Setting: Psychological Factors, Outcome and Treatment Egil Jonsbu

Chest pain and benign palpitations are common complaints in the general population. As they might be symptoms of life threatening illnesses, they are the two most common reasons for referral to cardiac evaluation. However, these symptoms are unspecific, and in most cases patients do not have a cardiac condition that can account for their symptoms. Studies have reported that the outcome, for a significant proportion of patients with negative cardiac evaluation, is poor. This book, which is based on a research study, reports important characteristics of the patients attending a cardiac outpatient clinic, including prevalence of cardiac and psychiatric disorders. The book reports factors which predict poor outcome for patients who have no cardiac disorder detected, expand the knowledge about the psychological consequences of having a normal cardiac evaluation, and evaluate a simple but effective treatment for these patients. The book will be especially useful to doctors and nurses working in cardiology and psychiatry and to general practitioners.