Endotype-informed therapy and effects on illness perception and psychological health in patients with chest pain and no obstructive coronary artery disease.

In 30 seconds

The CorCMR trial, a multicenter randomized controlled trial, evaluated the impact of non-invasive stress perfusion cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) on illness perception and psychological health in 250 patients with chest pain and no obstructive coronary artery disease (ANOCA). The CMR-guided approach significantly improved illness perception and psychological health at both 6 and 12 months compared to standard care.

Key findings

• At 6 months, illness perception scores were significantly lower in the intervention group by an adjusted mean difference of -8.67.
• Sustained improvement in illness perception was observed at 12 months with an adjusted mean difference of -10.80.
• Psychological health scores decreased significantly at 6 months with an adjusted mean difference of -0.88.
• At 12 months, psychological health scores continued to improve with an adjusted mean difference of -0.97.

Why it matters

This study underscores the potential of targeted, endotype-informed therapies to alleviate psychological distress and improve illness perception in patients with ANOCA, a population often burdened by diagnostic uncertainty.