Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
BACKGROUND: Little is known about illness-related uncertainty and decreased health-related quality of life in patients undergoing initial coronary angiography or about the long-term effects of uncertainty. OBJECTIVES: To compare patients with and without high levels of uncertainty before angiography and to examine the influence of uncertainty on health-related quality of life 1 year after angiography. METHODS: In a prospective, longitudinal study, measurements of perceived control, uncertainty, affective distress, and health-related quality of life were collected from 93 patients before angiography (baseline) and 1 year later. At baseline, patients were classified into high- and low-uncertainty groups by median split. At 1 year, analysis of variance was used to compare health-related quality of life and psychological outcomes in the 2 groups, and multiple linear regression with stepwise entry was used to identify independent determinants of health-related quality of life. RESULTS: Compared with patients with low baseline uncertainty, patients with high baseline uncertainty had higher levels of anxiety and depression and lower levels of perceived control and health-related quality of life 1 year after angiography. Baseline health-related quality of life, uncertainty, and life stress accounted for 54% of the variance in health-related quality of life, even when angiographic outcome was controlled for (P < .001). Baseline uncertainty was independently associated with health-related quality of life (beta = -0.25; 95% confidence interval, -9.40 to -0.05; P = .02). CONCLUSIONS: At initial angiography, high levels of uncertainty about illness portend negative health-related quality of life outcomes up to 1 year later.
Eastwood et al. (Thu,) studied this question.