Impaired quality of life in patients with intermittent atrial fibrillation

OBJECTIVE: The quality of life (QoL) is impaired in patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). However, the data on the perceived QoL of patients with different types of AF is limited. In this study, we investigated the QoL of patients with intermittent and chronic AF. METHODS: The study was designed as an observational cross-sectional study, and 135 consecutive patients with documented AF admitted to the cardiology outpatient clinic in a tertiary hospital were recruited. The pattern of AF was classified as intermittent or chronic AF. The European Heart Rhythm Association (EHRA) classification and symptom severity score were used to quantify the symptoms related to AF. The QoL was assessed by the Short Form-36 and the Canadian Cardiovascular Society Severity in Atrial Fibrillation (SAF) scale. RESULTS: Thirty-nine percent of the patients (n=52) had intermittent AF and 61% (n=83) had chronic AF. In the overall patient population, 92% reported having at least one of the symptoms that can be attributable to AF. Although the prevalence of symptoms were similar in patients with intermittent or chronic AF, the patients with intermittent AF perceived more severe palpitations (symptom severity score 2.4±1.7 vs. 1.5±1.5, p=0.003). Patients with intermittent AF had higher EHRA and SAF scores than the patients with chronic AF (2.6±0.9 vs. 1.9±0.8, p<0.001; 2.5±1.3 vs. 1.7±1.2, p<0.001, respectively). CONCLUSION: Outpatients with AF have a high prevalence of symptoms and impaired QoL. The impairment of subjective health-related QoL is worse in patients with intermittent AF.