Exercise and Pharmacotherapy for Anxiety in Cardiac Patients
Summary
Coronary heart disease (CHD) is the leading cause of death in the United States; more than 600,000 Americans suffer a fatal cardiac event each year. Traditional CHD risk factors such as high blood pressure, smoking, and elevated cholesterol do not fully account for the timing and occurrence of CHD events and individuals with elevated levels of anxiety appear to have a greater risk of cardiovascular events. The present study will examine the impact of aerobic exercise and Lexapro in the treatment of anxiety and cardiovascular biomarkers among individuals with CHD.
Timeline
- Start
- 2015-12
- Primary completion
- 2020-05-01
- Completion
- 2021-05
Outcome
Met primary endpoint
paper participants randomized to escitalopram reported less anxiety compared with those randomized to exercise (-1.67; 95% CI, -2.68 to -0.66; P = .002). PMID 34406354 ↗
registry analysis (other test); Supervised Aerobic Exercise vs Lexapro vs Placebo; p = 0.038; ANCOVA NCT02516332 ↗
paper Participants randomized to the exercise group and escitalopram group reported greater reductions in HADS-A PMID 34406354 ↗
Publications
- Blumenthal JA, Smith PJ, Jiang W, Hinderliter A, Watkins LL, Hoffman BM, Kraus WE, Liao L, Davidson J, Sherwood A. Effect of Exercise, Escitalopram, or Placebo on Anxiety in Patients With Coronary Heart Disease: The Understanding the Benefits of Exercise and Escitalopram in Anxious Patients With Coronary Heart Disease (UNWIND) Randomized Clinical Trial. JAMA Psychiatry. 2021 Nov 1;78(11):1270-1278. doi: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2021.2236.
- Blumenthal JA, Feger BJ, Smith PJ, Watkins LL, Jiang W, Davidson J, Hoffman BM, Ashworth M, Mabe SK, Babyak MA, Kraus WE, Hinderliter A, Sherwood A. Treatment of anxiety in patients with coronary heart disease: Rationale and design of the UNderstanding the benefits of exercise and escitalopram in anxious patients WIth coroNary heart Disease (UNWIND) randomized clinical trial. Am Heart J. 2016 Jun;176:53-62. doi: 10.1016/j.ahj.2016.03.003. Epub 2016 Mar 12.
Drugs
| Evaluation | Drug | Modality | Dose | Route |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Subject | Escitalopram | Small molecule | 15 mg | — |