title: Long-term health-related quality of life after spontaneous nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage: self and proxy reports in a 10-year period.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  This study sought to examine health-related quality of life several years after spontaneous nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage. Recent studies report impairments to be improved as far as normal levels. We question such an improvement in our own patient population over a period of 10 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Medical Outcomes Study 36-Item and Medical Outcomes Study 12-Item Short-Form Health Surveys on health-related quality of life were used to question 236 patients and 235 proxies. The patients were assigned to 5 groups according to the time that had elapsed since their hemorrhage: 1 year N = 22, 2 years N = 36, 5 years N = 86, 8 years N = 61, and 10 years N = 31. Analyses of variance (ANOVA, Kruskal-Wallis) and correlation (Spearman, Kendall tau) were used in an exploratory approach. Significance was established as P ≤ 0.05.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Over a period of 10 years, health-related quality of life is found to be impaired, and is reported as such by the patients themselves and their proxies. Comparison of the mean values between the groups, ie, 1, 2, 5, and 10 years, revealed no significant differences in health-related quality of life. The calculations with a view to correlations between the group means and time since hemorrhage also produced only very weak correlations of no significance.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Health-related quality of life is impaired over a period of 10 years. Spontaneous nontraumatic subarachnoid hemorrhage should be regarded as a chronic cerebrovascular condition.
authors.affiliation: Universitätsklinikum Ulm, Neurochirurgische Klinik, Ulm, Germany. Electronic address: Thomas.Kapapa@uniklinik-ulm.de.
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kapapa
authors.affiliation: Neurochirurgische Klinik, Klinikum Landshut, Landshut, Germany.
authors.forename: Dieter
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Woischneck
authors.affiliation: Universitätsklinikum Ulm, Neurochirurgische Klinik, Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tjahjadi
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000704:Analysis of Variance; D003128:Coma / Q000209:etiology / Q000523:psychology; D003627:Data Interpretation, Statistical; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D023261:Glasgow Outcome Scale; D006304:Health Status; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008603:Mental Health; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D057566:Self Report; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000523:psychology* / Q000628:therapy*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D016896:Treatment Outcome