Quality of Life Assessment in Patients with Coronary Artery Disease

Background: Given the prolonged life expectancy resulting from advancements in the field of coronary artery disease (CAD), patients have to manage CAD symptoms and complex treatment plans over a long duration, affecting as a result their Health-related Quality of life (HRQoL). Since little is known about the HRQoL in Tunisian CAD patients, The aim of this study was to assess health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and its associated factors in Tunisian patients with coronary artery disease. Methods: This was an observational, descriptive and cross-sectional single-center study including 150 patients treated for CAD seen in outpatient consultation. Participants underwent an individual fully-structured interview using a pre-established form that included the Tunisian version of the HRQoL questionnaire: 36-item Short-Form health survey (SF-36). Results: The mean age in this study was 62.7 years. The majority of our population had a good quality of life according to the SF-36 total score (70.7%) and both of its components (59.3% for the physical scale and 52.7% for the mental scale). In univariate analysis, the following variables were related to poor HRQoL with p<0.05: female gender, age, low levels of education, unemployment, dyslipidemia , diabetes , arterial hypertension, renal failure, obesity , smoking, lack of physical activity, recurrent hospitalizations, admissions for acute heart failure or STEMI, multiple vessel disease, recent cardiac events, mildly reduced left ventricular ejection fraction and non-adherence to medical treatment. Conclusion: This study highlighted the importance of therapeutic education in order to improve the HRQoL in Tunisian CAD patients.