Health related quality of life and health status in adult survivors with previously operated complex congenital heart disease.
OBJECTIVE
To examine the impact of previously operated complex congenital heart disease on health related quality of life and subjective health status and to determine the relation between these parameters and physical status.


METHODS
Cross sectional; information on medical follow up was sought retrospectively.


METHODS
Patients were randomly selected from the archives of the paediatric cardiology department, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands, and approached irrespective of current cardiac care or hospital of follow up.


METHODS
Seventy eight patients with previously operated complex congenital heart disease (now aged 18-32 years) were compared with the general population.


METHODS
Health related quality of life was determined with a specifically developed questionnaire (Netherlands Organisation for Applied Scientific Research Academic Medical Centre (TNO-AZL) adult quality of life (TAAQOL)) and subjective health status was assessed with the 36 item short form health survey (SF-36). Physical status was determined with the objective physical index, Somerville index, and New York Heart Association functional class.


RESULTS
Health related quality of life of the patients was significantly worse than that of the general population in the dimensions gross motor functioning and vitality (p < 0.01). Correlations between health related quality of life and physical status were poor. Patients had significantly worse subjective health status than the general population in the dimensions physical functioning, role functioning physical, vitality, and general health perceptions (p < 0.01). Correlations between subjective health status and physical indices were weak.


CONCLUSIONS
Adult survivors with previously operated complex congenital heart disease experienced limitations only in the physical dimensions of health related quality of life and subjective health status. Objectively measured medical variables were only weakly related to health related quality of life. These results indicate that, when evaluating health related quality of life, dedicated questionnaires such as the TAAQOL should be used.
Kamphuis
M
M
Department of Cardiology, Leiden University Medical Centre, Leiden, The Netherlands.
Ottenkamp
J
J
Vliegen
H W
HW
Vogels
T
T
Zwinderman
K H
KH
Kamphuis
R P
RP
Verloove-Vanhorick
S P
SP
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000523:psychology / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006304:Health Status; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006330:Heart Defects, Congenital / Q000523:psychology / Q000601:surgery*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011184:Postoperative Period; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017741:Survivors