Well-being, ill-being and symptoms of atrial fibrillation

Objective. The aim of this study was to compare patientswith symptomatic and asymptomatic atrial fibrillation, in terms of medical variables, self-rated psychological distress and well being, and to evaluate possible correlations among these variables. Methods. Sixty-two outpatients with documented atrial fibrillation (34 with symptomatic atrial fibrillation and 28 without) were evaluated by self-report instruments: the Psychological Well being Scale (PWB) and the Symptom Questionnaire to detect psychological distress. The two groups were compared by means of the t-test and x2-test. Linear regression was performed to evaluate correlations between psychological well being and distress in patients with symptomatic and asymptomatic atrial fibrillation. Results. Patients with symptomatic atrial fibrillation showed lower levels of psychological well being and higher scores of distress than asymptomatic participants. Only among patients with symptomatic atrial fibrillation, all the dimensions of PWB were significantly and negatively associated with the Symptom Questionnaire scores. Conclusion. These results suggest peculiar psychological correlates in the population of patients with symptomatic atrial fibrillation, which should be taken into account for their psychological and clinical management.