Beschreibung:
<jats:p>Sonino N, Fava GA, Boscaro M, Fallo F (University of Padova, Padova, University of Bologna, Bologna, Italy; and State University of New York at Buffalo, NY USA). Life events and neurocirculatory asthenia. A controlled study. <jats:italic>J Intern Med</jats:italic> 1998; <jats:bold>244</jats:bold>: 523–8.</jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Objectives</jats:bold> : The purpose of this study was to assess the occurrence of stressful life events in the year before the onset of neurocirculatory asthenia.</jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Design</jats:bold> : Case‐control retrospective study.</jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Setting</jats:bold> : A university medical outpatient clinic.</jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Subjects</jats:bold> : A consecutive series of 50 patients with neurocirculatory asthenia and a control group of 50 healthy subjects, matched for sociodemographic variables, were studied.</jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Main outcome measures</jats:bold> : Paykel's Interview for Recent Life Events (a semistructured research interview covering 64 life events) was administered to patients and controls.</jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Results</jats:bold> : Patients with neurocirculatory asthenia reported significantly more stressful life events than the control group (<jats:italic>P</jats:italic> < 0.05) and had significantly more of the following: exits (<jats:italic>P</jats:italic> < 0.05), undesirable (<jats:italic>P</jats:italic> < 0.05) and uncontrolled (<jats:italic>P</jats:italic> < 0.01) events. More events that had an objective negative impact (<jats:italic>P</jats:italic> < 0.001) and more independent events (<jats:italic>P</jats:italic> = 0.07) were also reported. Ratings of impact and independence were carried out by a blind rater who was unaware whether the event had occurred in patients or controls.</jats:p><jats:p><jats:bold>Conclusions</jats:bold> : The results are suggestive of a strong relationship between stressful life events and neurocirculatory asthenia. This is in agreement with a multifactorial model of pathogenesis in neurocirculatory asthenia and with current understanding of the extensive links of behavioral responses to stress with neurophysiological and biochemical processes.</jats:p>