Predictive value of type D personality for cardiac events in Chinese patients with acute myocardial infarction

BACKGROUND: Our study aimed to investigate the association between type D personality and adverse cardiac events in chinese patients after acute myocardial infarction (AMI). METHODS: Patients with AMI admitted to cardiac care unit (CCU) of China-Japan Friendship Hospital, Beijing, China between January 2016 and December 2017 were enrolled. 257 patients completed psychological questionnaires at enrollment. Type D personality was assessed with 14-item Type D Scale-14 (DS14). Anxiety and depression were quantified using Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to determine the independent predictors of in-hospital major adverse cardiac events (MACEs), while cox regression analysis was used to evaluate post-discharge endpoints. RESULTS: 54 patients (21%) were classified as Type D personality defined by the combination of a negative affectivity (NA) score ≥ 10 and a social inhibition (SI) score ≥ 10 on the DS14. Patients with Type D personality displayed significantly higher scores of anxiety (7.4 ± 3.1 vs. 4.2 ± 3.1, p < .001) and depression (7.2 ± 3.8 vs. 4.0 ± 3.4, p < .001). AMI patients with Type D personality had higher prevalence rates of anxiety (χ2 = 30.095, P < .001) and depression (χ2 = 27.082, P < .001). Type D group also displayed a significantly higher level of blood lipoprotein(a) (177.2 ± 200.7 vs. 118.1 ± 255.7 mg/L, P = .048). The incidence of in-hospital MACEs was higher in type D than in non-Type D patients (24.1% vs. 11.3%, χ2 = 5.751, P = .026). Multivariable logistic regression showed three significant independent predictors of in-hospital MACEs: age [odds ratio(OR) = 1.055; 95%CI 1.016–1.095, p = .004], type-D personality(OR 3.332; 95% CI 1.149–9.661, p = .014) and killip classification(OR 2.275, 95% CI 1.506–3.437, p < .001). The average follow-up time was 31 (23-37.5) months. Type D patients had higher incidences of post-discharge events(23.1% vs. 11.5%, p = .032). In the analysis of post-discharge events by Cox regression, χ2 of the Cox regression equation was 16.795 (P = .032). Smoking (HR 2.602; 95% CI1.266–5.347, p = .009) and type-D personality (HR 2.265; 95%CI 1.028–4.988, p = .042) were independent predictors of long-term cardiac events. Kaplan–Meier curves showed significant difference in event-free survival between type D and non-type D group (p = .043). CONCLUSIONS: Type D personality is an independent predictor of in-hospital and post-discharge cardiac events after AMI in Chinese patients. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s12872-023-03598-w.