Supervisors info:
Ραλλίδης Λουκιανός, Αναπληρωτής Καθηγητής, Ιατρική Σχολή, ΕΚΠΑ
Κουτής Χαρίλαος, Καθηγητής Υγιεινής-Επιδημιολογίας & Δημόσιας Υγείας, ΤΕΙ Αθηνών
Κλέτσιου Ελένη, Νοσηλεύτρια ΠΕ, ΠΓΝ "Αττικόν"
Summary:
Introduction: Nowadays, Coronary heart disease is the most common cause of morbidity and mortality in modern Western societies. Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI) is a threatening disease that affects patient’s life. In recent decades, the interest of health professionals has been centered on assessing the quality of patients’ life, for which is needed a valuation of all dimensions.
Purpose: The aim of this study is to investigate AMI patient’s quality of life and the impact of risk factors on them.
Methodology: The study included patients until 80 old of both sexes who were hospitalized at a University Hospital diagnosed with "Acute Myocardial Infarction" (STEMI and NSTEMI). Patients' quality of life was estimated using Short Form 36 (SF-36) and MacNew questionnaires, which were answered by those patients during their hospitalization and after 6 months by telephone call.
Results: The study included a total of 87 patients with AMI (73 men, 14 women), with an average age of 56.6 years. The distribution of risk factors in the sample was as follows: smoking (82,8%), hypertension (41,4%), diabetes mellitus (16,1%), dyslipidemia (33,3%), inheritance (44,4% ). Comparison of both questionnaires at two different times revealed, that all dimensions of quality of life deteriorated after 6 months from the acute anginal episode (p <0.0001), with the exception of the pain dimension, which had a statistically significant improvement (p < 0.0001). From the correlations of the changes of SF-36 and MacNew questionnaires in six months time and the gender, the family history of coronary artery disease, obesity and dyslipidaemia, there were no statistically significant differences, in comparison with smoking, the age of up to 60 years, the existence of diabetes, as well as marital status, which statistically influenced the dimensions of quality of life.
Conclusions: The results of this study highlight, not only the deterioration of quality of life after the occurrence of AMI, but also, the factors to which interventions of secondary prevention should focus. The aim of secondary prevention is to maintain the quality of life of each patient.
Keywords:
Quality of life, Coronary heart disease, Myocardial infarction, Risk factors of coronary heart disease
