July 11, 2000

BIRMINGHAM, AL — A study under way at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) is evaluating treatments for coping with non-cardiac chest pain — gripping chest pain experienced by people with normal coronary arteries. "As many as 150,000 patients a year in the U.S. are diagnosed with non-cardiac chest pain," says Laurence A. Bradley, Ph.D., professor of medicine with UAB's Division of Clinical Immunology and Rheumatology. "For many of these patients, frequent episodes of chest pain significantly interfere with their ability to perform daily routine activities."

The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health, is the first to compare behavior modification to drug therapy in helping people cope with non-cardiac chest pain. "Both treatments have been found effective," says Bradley. "This study will allow a comparison."

Volunteers for the study will participate in a 16-week program, visiting the clinic once a week for treatment. "Some volunteers will be assigned to a behavior modification program to learn new ways to cope with and manage pain, such as relaxation and interspersing periods of rest with activity," says Bradley. "Others will be assigned to a drug therapy program and will receive a medication called imipramine that has been shown to modulate pain."

Researchers will enroll 160 people in the study. To qualify, volunteers must be age 18 to 60 and must have experienced chest pain at least twice a week for the past three months. Researchers will consult with volunteers' doctors to determine there is no history of heart disease or evidence of mitral valve prolapse, and volunteers will be evaluated to rule out other possible causes of pain, such as gastroesophageal reflux.

For more information about the study, call Nancy McKendree-Smith at (205) 934-3911.