title: Influence of health-related quality of life on time from symptom onset to hospital arrival and the risk of readmission in patients with myocardial infarction.
abstract: Despite increased awareness of the importance of early treatment in acute myocardial infarction (AMI), the delay from symptom onset to hospital arrival is still too long and rehospitalisations are frequent. Little is known about how health-related quality of life (HRQL) affects delay time and the frequency of readmissions.
  
  
  
  We used quality registers to investigate whether patients' HRQL has any impact on delay time with a new AMI, and on the rate of readmissions during the first year. Patients with AMI <75 years, with HRQL assessed with EQ-5D at 1-year follow-up, and who thereafter had a new AMI registered, were evaluated for the correlation between HRQL and delay time (n=454). The association between HRQL and readmissions was evaluated among those who had an additional AMI and a new 1-year follow-up registration (n=216).
  
  
  
  Patients who reported poor total health status (EQ-VAS ≤50), compared to those who reported EQ-VAS 81-100, had tripled risk to delay ≥2 h from symptom onset to hospital arrival (adjusted OR 3.01, 95% CI 1.43 to 6.34). Patients scoring EQ-VAS ≤50 had also a higher risk of readmissions in the univariate analysis (OR 3.08, 95% CI 1.71 to 5.53). However, the correlation did not remain significant after adjustment (OR 1.99, 95% CI 0.90 to 4.38). EQ-index was not independently associated with delay time or readmissions.
  
  
  
  Aspects of total health status post-AMI were independently associated with delay time to hospital arrival in case of a new AMI. However, the influence of total health status on the risk of readmissions was less clear.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences , Uppsala Clinical Research Center, Uppsala University , Uppsala , Sweden.
authors.forename: Catrin
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Henriksson
authors.affiliation: Department of Women's and Children's Health , Uppsala University , Uppsala , Sweden.
authors.forename: Margareta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Larsson
authors.affiliation: The Center of Prehospital Research in Western Sweden, University of Borås and Sahlgrenska University Hospital , Gothenburg , Sweden.
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Herlitz
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology , Ryhov Hospital , Jönköping , Sweden.
authors.forename: Jan-Erik
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Karlsson
authors.affiliation: Uppsala Clinical Research Center, Uppsala University , Uppsala , Sweden.
authors.forename: Lisa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Wernroth
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Sciences , Uppsala Clinical Research Center, Uppsala University , Uppsala , Sweden.
authors.forename: Bertil
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Lindahl
keywords: CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE; MYOCARDIAL DISEASE; MYOCARDIAL ISCHAEMIA AND INFARCTION (IHD)