title: Health-related quality of life of patients with implantable cardioverter defibrillators compared with that of pacemaker recipients.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Studies indicate a poorer quality of life (QoL) for implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) patients than for the general population. However, studies comparing the QoL of ICD patients with that of patients with other implantable cardiac devices are scarce. We hypothesized that ICD patients had a poorer QoL than pacemaker patients.
  
  
  RESULTS
  All ICD patients living in Iceland at the beginning of 2002 (44 subjects), and a comparison group of 81 randomly selected patients with pacemakers were invited to participate. The Icelandic Quality of Life Questionnaire (IQL), the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ), the Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) were submitted to measure QoL, psychiatric distress, and symptoms of anxiety and depression. The ICD and pacemaker groups did not differ on IQL, BAI, BDI, or GHQ scores. ICD patients were as a group more fearful of death (P = 0.056) and showed more concerns about returning to work (P = 0.072), although these items fell just short of statistical significance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Contrary to our expectations, ICD patients had a comparable QoL with pacemaker recipients and were not more likely to suffer from anxiety, depression, or general psychiatric distress. These findings are encouraging in view of expanding ICD indications.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Landspitali University Hospital, Hringbraut, 101 Reykjavik, Iceland.
authors.forename: Margret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Leosdottir
authors.forename: Engilbert
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Sigurdsson
authors.forename: Gudrun
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Reimarsdottir
authors.forename: Gizur
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Gottskalksson
authors.forename: Bjarni
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Torfason
authors.forename: Margret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Vigfusdottir
authors.forename: Sveinn
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Eggertsson
authors.forename: David O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Arnar
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001007:Anxiety / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D017147:Defibrillators, Implantable / Q000523:psychology*; D003863:Depression / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010138:Pacemaker, Artificial / Q000523:psychology*; D011788:Quality of Life; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires