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Plasma catecholamines, pharmacotherapy and mood of subjects with cardiovascular disorder

Department of Pharmacology, University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK, c.stanford{at}ucl.ac.uk

Peter Salmon

Department of Clinical Psychology,The University of Liverpool, The Whelan Building, Liverpool, UK

Ghada Mikhail

Harefield Hospital, Harefield, Middlesex, UK

Doreen Gettins

Department of Pharmacology, University College London, London, UK

Simon Zielinski

Department of Psychology, University College London, London, UK

John R. Pepper

Royal Brompton National Heart and Lung Hospital, London, UK

This study investigated whether drug therapy explains why the concentration of arterial plasma catecholamines in patients who have received an orthotopic heart transplant (OHT) or coronary bypass and graft (CABG) is greater than in those with heart failure (HF).The results suggest that the differences in plasma catecholamine concentrations in these groups of patients could not be attributed to administration of any of the drugs studied here. An additional finding is that the use of aspirin is associated with a higher concentration of plasma noradrenaline, but not adrenaline. Patients who were taking aspirin also had a more positive mood, as rated by the Profile of Mood States; this was mainly because they had a lower fatigue score than did patients who were not taking this drug. In contrast, several agents (warfarin, Ca²⁺-channel blockers and `mixed cardiac' drugs), which had no effects on catecholamine overspill, were linked with negative mood; this was expressed consistently as a higher tension score. These findings suggest that drugs which are administered for their effects in the periphery could also influence patients' psychological status. With the possible exception of aspirin, this does not involve changes in spillover of catecholamines in the periphery.

Key Words: aspirin • chemotherapy • coronary bypass • heart failure • heart transplant • plasma catecholamines • profile of mood states

Journal of Psychopharmacology, Vol. 13, No. 3, 255-260 (1999)
DOI: 10.1177/026988119901300308


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