title: Areas of concern, quality of life and life satisfaction in patients with peripheral vascular disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  to explore the ways in which peripheral vascular disease subjectively affect patients and to relate these findings to validated measurements of quality of life (QOL) and life satisfaction.
  
  
  METHODS
  a cross-sectional study.
  
  
  METHODS
  eighty patients, with carotid artery stenosis (CAS), abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA), intermittent claudication (IC) or critical limb ischaemia (CLI).
  
  
  METHODS
  semi-structured interviews were used to explore the effect of the disease on the patients life situation. QOL was assessed by SF-36 and life satisfaction by LiSat-11.
  
  
  RESULTS
  the SF36, LiSat-11 and our interview revealed two principal patterns: one for patients with CAS and AAA, and one for patients with IC and CLI. The interview revealed important areas affecting the vascular patient. Some of these areas: higher intellectual function, concern, sexual function, family concern and factors related to the operated areas were not covered by either the SF36 or the LiSat-11.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  for a full understanding of how peripheral vascular disease affects the individual, disease specific questions need to be added to generic QOL instruments and measurements of life satisfaction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Falu Hospital, S-791 82 Falun, Sweden.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Hallin
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bergqvist
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fugl-Meyer
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Holmberg
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D017544:Aortic Aneurysm, Abdominal / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D016893:Carotid Stenosis / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D005121:Extremities / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007383:Intermittent Claudication / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D007511:Ischemia / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D016491:Peripheral Vascular Diseases / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy; D011788:Quality of Life / Q000523:psychology*; D020127:Recovery of Function / Q000502:physiology