title: Factors influencing health-related quality of life in cardiac rehabilitation patients.
abstract: Associations of age, gender, cardiac procedure (coronary artery bypass grafting or percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty), risk stratification, and number of comorbidities with health-related quality of life (HRQL) were examined among 217 men and 84 women (mean age, 63+/-11 years) consecutively enrolled in a phase II cardiac rehabilitation program. Female gender and high-risk stratification were independently associated with impaired treatment gains in most areas of HRQL. Older age and having a greater number of comorbidities were also associated with impaired gains in specific areas. HRQL was generally lower at baseline but not post-treatment in coronary artery bypass grafting vs. percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty patients. Cardiac rehabilitation patients also had lower HRQL scores than an age-matched, normative sample at baseline (most areas) and post-treatment (mainly on role physical). Findings reinforce the need for cardiac rehabilitation programs to tailor assessments and risk factor modification strategies to patient characteristics associated with low levels of HRQL, especially in women and those with higher risk stratification.
authors.affiliation: Department of Exercise Science, Norman J. Arnold School of Public Health, University of South Carolina, Columbia, SC 29208, USA.
authors.forename: Meredith
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Jamieson
authors.forename: Sara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wilcox
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Webster
authors.forename: Dawn
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Blackhurst
authors.forename: Robert F
authors.initials: RF
authors.lastname: Valois
authors.forename: J Larry
authors.initials: JL
authors.lastname: Durstine
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D015906:Angioplasty, Balloon, Coronary; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D017079:Exercise Tolerance; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000534:rehabilitation* / Q000628:therapy; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D011788:Quality of Life; D012044:Regression Analysis; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D012723:Sex