Role of personality traits as a risk factors for coronary diseases

Abstract

Introduction: It has been determined that type A behavior patterns and coronary artery disease incidence are related. According to recent research, having type A personality traits raises the coronary disease. Although type D personality has not been thoroughly studied, some research suggests that it may also be a risk factor for those diseases. Our study aimed at examining the link between personality patterns and coronary disease. Methods: At the Mohamed Tahar Maâmouri University Hospital in Nabeul, we conducted a cross-sectional study. One hundred individuals with coronary artery disease from the cardiology department were recruited. They were either hospitalized or outpatients. We also included 100 controls. Personality types A and D were screened using the Bortner questionnaire and the “DS-14” scale, respectively. Results: Compared to 13% of controls, 45% of patients with coronary artery disease had a behavioral type D personality. The prevalence of type A was 35% in controls and 25% in patients with coronary artery disease. Type D personality was linked to coronary artery disease with an odds ratio = 4.8 (95% CI, 2.4–9.2) and a p = 0.002 after adjusting using binary logistic regression and accounting for confounding variables. We found that individuals with type D personalities were five times more likely to have coronary artery disease. There was no statistically significant correlation between coronary artery disease and type A personality (p = 0.123). Conclusion: The study emphasizes the necessity of encouraging type D personality early detection to contribute to averting coronary artery disease.