Health-Related Quality of Life in Patients 7 Months After a Myocardial Infarction: Factors Affecting the Short Form-12

We assessed patients' health‐related quality of life after myocardial infarction and identified related variables. Clinical data were obtained retrospectively from medical records of consecutive patients admitted to a Midwestern university‐affiliated medical center with diagnosis of myocardial infarction from July 1999–July 2000. Telephone interviews 7 months after discharge were made to administer the Short Form‐12 (SF‐12) and obtain patient, disease, drug, and intervention data. Complete information was obtained from 200 patients (mean age 63.4 ± 13.1 yrs, 68% men). The mean Physical Component Summary (PCS)‐12 score was 40.6 ± 12.0, and the mean Mental Component Summary (MCS)‐12 score was 52.1 ± 10.0. Based on univariate analyses, low PCS‐12 scores were associated with women; non‐Q‐wave infarctions; greater number of illnesses; history of myocardial infarction, chronic heart failure (CHF), transient ischemic attack (TIA), renal disease, peripheral vascular disease, or percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI); rehospitalization during the interim period; and unscheduled PCI since index myocardial infarction. Low MCS‐12 scores were associated with age below 65 years, low overall self‐reported drug therapy compliance, low self‐reported compliance with angiotensin‐converting enzyme inhibitor and lipid‐lowering therapy, no history of coronary artery bypass graft, and no stress test since index myocardial infarction. A multivariate regression model for PCS‐12 kept the following variables: greater number of illnesses, history of CHF or TIA, and rehospitalization since index myocardial infarction. The MCS‐12 model contained age below 65 years, low overall compliance, and low compliance with lipid‐lowering therapy. Further work is necessary to determine noncardiovascular predictors of quality of life and whether interventions for these patients will result in improved quality of life.