Association between Type A behavior pattern and coronary artery spasm in Japanese patients

The relations between the Jenkins Activity Survey (JAS) Type A score and coronary atherosclerosis and spasm were examined in 192 patients (115 men and 77 women) undergoing coronary angiography. Thirty-nine men (34%) and 12 women (16%) had significant (greater than or equal to 75%) coronary stenosis. In 97 patients (54 men and 43 women) with no significant coronary stenosis, a coronary spasm provocation test by 0.2 to 0.4 mg of ergometrine was performed, by which a significant focal spasm (greater than or equal to 75% reduction of luminal diameter) was induced in 22 men (40%) and 5 women (12%). Men who showed a significant focal spasm had a higher Type A score than men who showed no such spasm (1.9 +/- 8.4 vs. -2.4 +/- 8.3, p < 0.05). Discriminant analysis in male patients revealed that the induction of coronary spasm can be predicted by the JAS Type A score and smoking habit (p = 0.04). No such association was found for female patients. These results suggest that the Type A behavior pattern as assessed by the JAS may be associated with coronary spasm in Japanese men without significant coronary stenosis.