Women, mental health and health-related quality of life in coronary patients.
OBJECTIVE
To establish clusters of Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQL) in a population of patients hospitalised for suspected Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), and to examine the relationship between mental health and other sociodemographic and clinical variables associated with worse HRQL.


METHODS
We conducted a cross-sectional study of 185 patients admitted to the Cardiology Service. We used the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-28) to assess the mental status, and the SF-36 to assess Health Related Quality Life (HRQL). Using the patients' scores obtained from the SF-36, we performed a cluster analysis and used a logistic model for the analysis of the variables associated with HRQL clusters.


RESULTS
We identified two HRQL clusters: good quality of life, for which the patients scored highest in all the dimensions of SF-36, and worse quality of life, for which patients had lower scores in all dimensions. The variables associated with the worse quality of life group were: female gender, previous history of Coronary Heart Disease (CHD), and poor mental health.


CONCLUSIONS
Being female, having poor mental health and a previous history of CHD were identified as representing a vulnerable group with worse HRQL.
Failde
I
I
Preventive Medicine and Public Health Area, University of Cádiz, and the Hospital Santiago Apostol, Psychiatric Department, Vitoria, Spain. inmaculada.failde@uca.es
Ramos
I
I
Fernández-Palacín
F
F
González-Pinto
A
A
D000223:Adaptation, Psychological; D000368:Aged; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003327:Coronary Disease / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000601:surgery; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006304:Health Status; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D013030:Spain; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016387:Women's Health