Neurocognitive functioning and improvement in quality of life following participation in cardiac rehabilitation

We investigated the relationship between neurocognitive functioning and qua lity of life/self-perceived health status (QOL) among cardiac rehabilitatio n (CR) patients to determine whether level of neurocognitive functioning is related to baseline QOL and improvement following CR, CR patients (n = 35) were given a neurocognitive screening before participation in CR, and also completed a behavioral inventory (SF-36) before and after CR to measure QO L associated with medical illness. At baseline, GR patients obtained relati vely low SF-36 scores compared with published norms, and as reported previo usly, demonstrated inferior neurocognitive performance compared with health y controls, Furthermore, neurocognitive performance was strongly positively correlated to SF-36 scores. Significant improvements were evident on many of the SF-36 subscales following rehabilitation. These improvements were re latively greater among SF-36 indexes of physical health status compared wit h SF-36 indexes of mental health status, Baseline neurocognitive performanc e also correlated strongly to the degree of improvement in SF-36 scores fol lowing rehabilitation. These findings indicate a strong relationship betwee n baseline neurocognitive functioning and QOL before CR, and the degree to which QOL improves following this intervention. (C) 1999 by Excerpta Medico , Inc.