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An Interactive Model of Pain and Myocardial Ischemia

From the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (S.E.H., S.T.W.); Department of Medicine (C.A.H.), Division of Cardiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland.

Address correspondence and reprint requests to Susan E. Hofkamp, Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 600 N. Wolfe Street, Phipps 193, Baltimore, MD 21287. E-mail: shofkam1{at}jhmi.edu

The biopsychosocial model has been used to describe the intertwined factors that may act as mechanisms in cardiovascular disease, as well as those found in pain conditions. This model may also prove useful in understanding a diagnosis that overlaps these two areas, angina. This article reviews the literature related to biological, psychological, and social mechanisms of painful ischemic episodes and discusses the interactions of those variables. We propose an integrated model that incorporates the biopsychosocial mechanisms that may be responsible for the variability in pain reporting with ischemic episodes. We show how sex differences manifested in various biopsychosocial factors may interact to influence the presence of painful versus silent myocardial ischemia. We present a plan for future research to elucidate this interaction.

Key Words: angina • pain • biopsychosocial • silent ischemia

Abbreviations: CAD = coronary artery disease; HADS = Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale; MMPI = Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory; BDI = Beck Depression Inventory; TABP = Type A behavior pattern.