A new study, the world’s first randomized controlled trial of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for patients with paroxysmal (intermittent) symptomatic atrial fibrillation (AF), reveals that online CBT shows promising effects on patient quality of life and reduces healthcare consumption.
The study was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
“Online CBT showed large effects on AF-specific quality of life (QoL), self-rated AF symptoms, cardiac anxiety, as well as reduced healthcare consumption compared to the control group.
The effects on AF-specific QoL are comparable to recent trials of invasive interventions and pharmacological treatment,” says Josefin Särnholm, researcher and psychologist at the Department of Clinical Neuroscience at Karolinska Institutet.
Significance of the Study
AF, which affects three percent of the population, can lead to severe and disabling symptoms such as palpitations, shortness of breath, and chest pain, resulting in a lower quality of life.
Existing medical treatments have limited effect on these symptoms and can cause serious side effects. This necessitates the development of other treatment options.
Online CBT offers a potential solution that can be widely available and integrated as an additional treatment to routine AF care.
Study Methodology
The study involved 127 patients with intermittent symptomatic AF who, after cardiac and psychological assessment, were randomized to receive either ten weeks of online CBT or AF education.
The online CBT treatment aimed to reduce fear of cardiac-related symptoms and AF-related avoidance behavior.
The patients were asked to complete a self-assessment before, during, and three months after the treatment, with the CBT group followed up 12 months after treatment. Long-term ECG was also used to measure the AF burden.
Future Research Directions
The researchers have conducted another randomized controlled trial comparing AF-CBT with a treatment focusing on reducing stress.
They are now analyzing the data and hope to implement the treatment at Karolinska University Hospital, with plans to offer it nationally in the near future.
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The study was published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology.
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