Quality of life in atrial fibrillation: measurement tools and impact of interventions.
Quality of life (QoL) is of central importance in atrial fibrillation as both a treatment goal and an endpoint in the evaluation of new therapies. QoL appears to be impaired in the majority of patients with AF. A number of interventions for AF have been shown to improve QoL, including pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic rate control, antiarrhythmic drugs, and nonpharmacologic rhythm control strategies. This paper will review the rationale, design, strengths, and limitations of the questionnaires most commonly used to assess QoL in AF studies, and present QoL outcomes from major studies of AF interventions.
Reynolds
Matthew R
MR
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02215, USA. mreynold@bidmc.harvard.edu
Ellis
Ethan
E
Zimetbaum
Peter
P
D001281:Atrial Fibrillation / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000628:therapy*; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006801:Humans; D008499:Medical Records; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care / Q000379:methods*; D011788:Quality of Life; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome