title: Does treatment guided by vitamin K in the diet alter the quality of life of anticoagulated patients?
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare whether health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is altered in patients undergoing a treatment strategy guided by changes in dietary vitamin K.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study is a randomized clinical trial carried out with chronic oral anticoagulation outpatients randomized into a control group (conventional dose adjustment of oral anticoagulants) (n = 66) and an intervention group (strategy based on changes in dietary vitamin K intake) (n = 66). HRQoL was measured using the Duke Anticoagulation Satisfaction Scale (DASS) at baseline and 90 days of follow-up.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Patients with worse HRQoL were younger (p = 0.005) and were using a higher dose of baseline oral anticoagulants (p = 0.008), while those with better HRQoL scores had a higher level of education (p = 0.01). Both groups had significant improvements in HRQoL from baseline to 90 days in the global DASS score (p < 0.001), as well as in the negative and positive psychological impact (p < 0.001) domains. We did not observe differences in the variations of HRQoL scores in any of the DASS domains (p values > 0.05) between groups of interventions. Patients who achieved oral anticoagulation stability (n = 23) had significantly better HRQoL scores than patients who did not achieve stability (p = 0.003).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Patients receiving the treatment strategy based on changes in dietary vitamin K intake did not have better HRQoL scores; however, both treatment approaches to manage oral anticoagulation improved HRQoL. Patients with greater oral anticoagulation stability had better HRQoL scores.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul Postgraduate Program of Cardiovascular Science: Cardiology, Cardiology Division, Hospital de Clinicas de Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil.
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Silva de Assis
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Nascimento Cruz
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Zuchinali
authors.forename: L E
authors.initials: LE
authors.lastname: Rohde
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rejane Rabelo
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000925:Anticoagulants / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001938:Brazil; D004032:Diet; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D019934:International Normalized Ratio; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010045:Outpatients; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D011788:Quality of Life; D014812:Vitamin K / Q000008:administration & dosage*
chemical_list: D000925:Anticoagulants; D014812:Vitamin K