Patients’ perception of health status and ischaemic burden in stable coronary artery disease

Background: Angina pectoris, the main manifestation of coronary artery disease has an unfavorable impact on quality of life. The aim of this study was to assess Health-Related Quality Of Life (HRQoL) in patients with Stable Coronary Artery Disease (SCAD) and to explore possible relationships between HRQoL and the risk factors for ischaemic heart disease, the Canadian Cardiovascular Society (CCS) angina severity class, and the extent of myocardial ischaemia on Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography Myocardial Perfusion Imaging (SPECT-MPI). Methods: HRQoL was assessed with the use of two generic questionnaires, EQ-5D-3L and SF-36v2 in one hundred consecutive patients with SCAD. Results: Most of the patients presented problems on the dimensions of mobility, pain/discomfort, and anxiety/depression of the EQ5D questionnaire. The EQ-VAS score was 61.96 ± 20.99, and the mean EQ-5D index value was 0.54 ± 0.31. The mean scores of the Physical Component Summary and the Mental Component Summary of the SF-36 questionnaire were 43.49 and 41.01 respectively. Higher CCS angina class, female gender and poor physical activity were significantly correlated with worse HRQoL. No statistically significant association was detected between HRQoL and the extent of ischaemia on myocardial perfusion imaging. Conclusions: Patients with SCAD have an impaired HRQoL, which can be reliably assessed by generic HRQoL questionnaires. Angina severity could be used as a surrogate of HRQoL, but individual perception of health status should be measured independently of the amount of ischaemiaon cardiac perfusion scintigraphy Keywords: health related quality of life; myocardial perfusion imaging; coronary artery disease.