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# Heart-focused anxiety was clinically elevated in 15% to 49% across 26 cardiac studies
- URL: https://www.coios.me/heart-focused-anxiety-was-clinically-elevated-in-15-to-49/
- Published: 2026-09-30T06:50:50.000Z
- Updated: 2026-09-30T07:55:50.000Z
- Description: A systematic review of 26 studies found clinically elevated heart-focused anxiety in 15% to 49% of patients with cardiovascular disease, and two prospective cohorts reported independent prediction of cardiac events and death after myocardial infarction (hazard ratios 1.30 to 1.59).
- Author: Daniel Ryan
- Tags: Healthcare today, Heart and stroke, Mental health, #peer-reviewed, #new, #item, #source-2026-09

The review synthesised 26 studies that measured heart-focused anxiety with the Cardiac Anxiety Questionnaire or HAF-17 in 9,628 adults with confirmed cardiovascular disease across eight countries. Clinically elevated anxiety ranged from 15% to 49%, varying with population, timing of assessment and cut-off, and was associated with depressive symptoms, illness perception and quality of life. Two prospective cohorts reported independent prediction of major adverse cardiac events and mortality after myocardial infarction, with hazard ratios of 1.30 to 1.59.

*Why it is interesting: Sets a disease-specific anxiety, separable from generalised anxiety, against prognosis after myocardial infarction, with avoidance of exertion as the reported pathway.*

Source

[European Journal of Preventive Cardiology, 28 September 2026](https://doi.org/10.1093/eurjpc/zwag509?ref=coios.me)

DOI

10.1093/eurjpc/zwag509

Type

Peer-reviewed article

Design

Systematic review with narrative synthesis, 26 studies, 9,628 enrolled patients across eight countries

Verdict

New finding

Driver

[Heart and stroke](https://www.coios.me/d-cardiovascular/)

Driver

[Mental health](https://www.coios.me/d-mental-health/)