Health-Related Quality of Life Improves Similarly in Patients With and Without Type 2 Diabetes After Cardiac Rehabilitation.
OBJECTIVE
Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States and results in substantial healthcare expenditures. Health-related quality of life (HRQoL) is an important aspect in long-term recovery for patients with cardiovascular disease. As such, improvement in HRQoL is a relevant outcome for determining cardiovascular rehabilitation (CR) program efficacy. Increasingly, diabetic patients are participating in CR and face additional challenges to HRQoL, yet there is a lack of research addressing program efficacy in this population. This study tested the hypothesis that CR would effect a favorable change in HRQoL for both diabetic (D; n = 37) and nondiabetic (N-D; n = 58) patients. Furthermore, we tested the hypothesis that the D group would demonstrate a greater overall change compared with the N-D group.


METHODS
In this retrospective study, we reviewed the charts of 95 patients who completed a CR program and collected HRQoL measures using the COOP questionnaire, where lower scores indicate higher HRQoL.


RESULTS
After CR, COOP scores for both the N-D improved (pre: 20.39 ± 0.79 vs post: 16.06 ± 0.75; P < .05) and D (pre: 20.92 ± 0.88 vs post: 15.84 ± 0.80; P < .05). HRQoL was not different between groups at the start of the program (P = .88) or at the end (P = .58), and thus, the improvement in HRQoL was not different between groups (P = .44).


CONCLUSIONS
These results suggest that D and N-D patients do not differ in their HRQoL at the start or end of CR, and that the 2 groups show similar improvements from attending the program. Larger sample studies are needed to confirm these findings.
Cardiovascular and Pulmonary Rehabilitation (Ms Wald), Miami Valley Hospital, Dayton, Ohio; Department of Health and Sport Science (Dr Crecelius), University of Dayton, Dayton, Ohio.
Caroline M
CM
Wald
Anne R
AR
Crecelius
D000368:Aged; D001794:Blood Pressure; D000072038:Cardiac Rehabilitation; D002318:Cardiovascular Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology / Q000628:therapy*; D003924:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D017079:Exercise Tolerance; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055686:Metabolic Equivalent; D008875:Middle Aged; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires