Patients with CHD are prone to anxiety, with hospital noise being a potential risk factor, and noise reduction management can effectively alleviate anxiety.
CHD patients with comorbid anxiety had significantly higher Self-Rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) scores than those without anxiety.
Noise exposure was positively correlated with anxiety in CHD patients.
Poor sleep quality, multivessel disease, elevated noise exposure, and prior PCI history were identified as risk factors for comorbid anxiety in CHD patients.
Noise reduction management interventions resulted in reduced noise levels and lower SAS anxiety scores compared to baseline.
The study used a retrospective design stratifying 138 hospitalized CHD patients into anxiety and nonanxiety groups based on clinically significant anxiety during hospitalization.
This research suggests that among patients hospitalized with coronary heart disease (CHD), a substantial proportion develop anxiety, and the level of noise in the hospital environment may play a meaningful role. In a study of 138 CHD patients, those with anxiety had notably higher noise exposure, worse sleep quality, more extensive heart disease (three or more blocked blood vessels), and a higher likelihood of having previously undergone a heart procedure called percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). The strongest individual risk factor for anxiety was poor sleep quality, followed by prior PCI history, multivessel disease, and noise level. The study also found that simply implementing noise reduction strategies in the hospital setting was associated with measurable decreases in both actual noise levels and patient-reported anxiety scores. This suggests that managing the hospital soundscape may be a practical, low-cost way to help reduce psychological distress in this vulnerable patient population. This research suggests that healthcare providers caring for CHD patients should pay close attention to emotional well-being, particularly in patients with multiple risk factors such as complex disease, prior procedures, and poor sleep. Efforts to reduce unnecessary hospital noise—such as quieting alarms, lowering staff conversation volume, and minimizing nighttime disturbances—may offer benefits beyond comfort, potentially improving psychological outcomes for heart disease patients.
Chen H, Wang Q. (2026). Risk Factors for Comorbid Anxiety in Patients with Coronary Heart Disease and Association with Noise Exposure.. Noise & health. https://doi.org/10.4103/nah.nah_135_25