Quantitative assessment of anxiety about their health in patients with first-ever stroke

Excessive health anxiety is frequent post-stroke psychopathological syndrome that remains understudied.

Aim. Quantitative assessment of health anxiety by Whiteley Index as well as it`s relation to psychiatric and somatic disorders.

Methods. This study is a part of prospective observational study of patients with first-ever stroke. 53 patients (mean age 60.2±11.8 years, 37% female) were assessed by Whiteley Index: 35 patients in 14 day of stroke, 32 — at 6. Month of post-stroke period, 14 — in both time-points. Borderline health anxiety was diagnosed in patients with score 32–44, excessive health anxiety — with score more than 44.

Results. Patients were divided into 5 groups: with low health anxiety (n=19), with borderline health anxiety (n=14), with high health anxiety (n=15), with lowering score (n=3) and with increasing score (n=3). Increased health anxiety was associated with bigger stroke volume, executive dysfunction, with larger number of habitual anxiety reactions and anxiety-related motor, ideational and vegetative symptoms as well as with uncontrollable hypertension in post-stroke period. Excessive health anxiety didn`t relate to increased frequency of generalized anxiety disorder and fear of stroke recurrence.

Conclusion. Although increased health anxiety is understandable psychological reaction to stroke, it has some pathological correlates: with increased habitual anxiety and vegetative lability, bigger lesion volume and executive dysfunction.