Introduction: Acute myocardial infarction has negative influence on patient's quality of life. The objective of the paper was to assess the health-related quality of life in the patients one month and twelve months after acute myocardial infarction and to compare it with the healthy controls.
Material and methods: A prospective cohort study involved 160 patients aged from 30 to 79 and 240 healthy controls. The health-related quality of life was assessed with the Serbian version of these questionnaires: EuroQuol-5-Dimension and EuroQuolVAS. Angina pectoris was ranked according to the classification of Canadian Cardiovascular Society. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used.
Results: The healthy controls had significantly higher average scores in EuroQuolVAS compared with the patients one month after acute myocardial infarction (74.35 +/- 9.42 vs 60.50 +/- 12.03, p<0.001), as well as twelve months afte acute myocardial infarction (74.35 +/- 9.42 vs 69.83 +/- 12.06, p<0.001). Significantly lower average ranges in EuroQuol-5-Dimension questionnaire and higher quality of life were found twelve months after acute myocardial infarction than one month after acute myocardial infarction (1.41 +/- 0.26 vs 1.53 +/- 0.26, p<0.001). The average ranges of angina pectoris were significantly lower in all the patients twelve months after acute myocardial infarction compared with the first month (0.78 +/- 0.51 vs 0.91 +/- 0.44, p<0.01). The multivariate regression analysis confirmed thrombolytic therapy, percutaneous transluminal angioplasty and age to be important factors influencing health-related quality of life.
Conclusion: The patients assessed their health condition to be significantly higher twelve months after acute myocardial infarction than one month after it. The health-related quality of life was significantly higher in patients who had undergone the percutaneous intervention than in those who had been treated with the thrombolytic therapy.