Age and angina as predictors of quality of life after myocardial infarction - A prospective comparative study

Objectives - The objectives were to compare quality of life (QoL) after fir st myocardial infarction with an age- and sex-adjusted normative population and to test whether the 1-month QoL had predictive properties. Design - QoL was assessed by self-administered questionnaires (SF-36 and Ca rdiac Health Profile) 1, 3 and 6 months after index-event. Participants wer e 60 consecutive patients (20% women) with a mean age of 58 +/- 7.4 years. Results - Patients greater than or equal to 59 years improved in Physical ( PCS) and Mental Component Summary (MCS), scoring comparable to community no rms at 6 months. However, patients < 59 years improved in PCS but not in MC S, and scored significantly below community norms in both PCS ((X) over bar = 44.7, CI 40.6-48.7 vs (X) over bar = 50.3, CI 49.3-51.4) and MCS ((X) ov er bar = 45.9, CI 41.8-49.9 vs (X) over bar = 51.3, CI 50.3-52.4) at 6 mont hs. Predictors for MCS were age (p = 0.025) and Vitality (p = 0.020) both p ositively related to QoL. Predictors for PCS were Physical Function (p = 0. 003) and CCS score (p < 0.001) where angina grade was negatively related to QoL. Conclusion - Because of impaired mental recovery in younger post-infarction patients, their need of special attention in the rehabilitation process mu st not be overlooked.