“Frequency of Confusion Between Anxiety and Cardiac Complaints in the Emergency Department: A Cross-Sectional Study Conducted at Esenyurt Necmi Kadıoğlu State Hospital (January 1, 2024 – December 31, 2024)”
This study aims to determine the rate of diagnostic errors between anxiety and cardiac diseases in the Emergency Department of Esenyurt Necmi Kadıoğlu State Hospital for the year 2024. Data from 800 patients was analyzed using a retrospective cross-sectional design. The results show that sixty percent of patients were diagnosed with anxiety and forty percent with cardiac diseases. The total misdiagnosis rate was 12%. Out of these, 10% of patients who were initially diagnosed with anxiety were later found to have a cardiac condition and 15% of those diagnosed with cardiac conditions were later found to have anxiety. Age, smoking, hypertension and chest pain were found to be significant factors associated with diagnostic errors. The probability of misdiagnosis increased with age, and higher rates were found among female patients, smokers, and hypertensive patients. Patients with lower troponin levels were more likely to be diagnosed with anxiety. The ECG findings did not have any significant relation with the diagnostic accuracy. These results underscore the importance of a more systematic and individualized diagnostic approach in emergency settings. Integrating patient-specific factors like age, gender, and comorbidities into clinical decision making and diagnostic algorithms may help decrease misdiagnosis and avoid unnecessary testing. It is recommended to perform a comprehensive cardiac evaluation before diagnosing anxiety in elderly patients, while psychiatric assessment may prevent overuse of cardiac investigations in patients with anxiety-like symptoms.
Keywords: Emergency department, anxiety, cardiac disease, misdiagnosis, troponin, hypertension, aging
Abbreviations
CVD: Cardiovascular Disease
ECG: Electrocardiogram
GAD: Generalized Anxiety Disorder
DSM-5: Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition
ESC: European Society of Cardiology
AHA: American Heart Association
CK-MB: Creatine Kinase-MB
HIMS: Hospital Information Management System
