Does type D personality impact on the prognosis of patients who underwent catheter ablation for atrial fibrillation? A 1-year follow-up study

Objective Although Type D personality has been associated with the prognosis of various cardiac diseases, few studies have investigated the influence of Type D personality on the cardiac and psychiatric prognoses of patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). Methods Depression, anxiety, and quality of life were measured at baseline and 6 months. The recurrence of AF was measured during 1-year following radiofrequency catheter ablation (RFCA) for AF. The Kaplan-Meier method with log-rank tests were used to compare the cumulative recurrence of AF. ACox proportional hazard model was conducted to identify factors that contribute to the recurrence of AF. Results A total of 236 patients admitted for RFCA were recruited. Patients with a Type D personality had higher levels of depression and anxiety and a poorer quality of life compared to controls. Although depression, anxiety, and quality of life had improved 6 months after RFCA, significant differences in psychiatric symptoms remained between patients with and without Type D personality. In the Cox models, the type of AF was the only factor that influenced the recurrence of AF. Conclusion Our results suggest that Type D personality predominately influences psychological distress in patients with AF, but not the recurrence of AF.