Review of quality-of-life evaluations in patients with angina pectoris

Patients with angina pectoris have a reduced quality of life because of their symptoms, impaired activity and anxiety. However, there is no consensus on the best method of measuring quality of life. A systematic literature search of randomised controlled trials (RCTs) in angina showed that the most common generic questionnaire was the Nottingham Health Profile (NHP) Part 1, and the most common angina-specific measure was the Quality-of-Life after Acute Myocardial Infarction Questionnaire. A comparison of NHP scores with those of the healthy population revealed that patients with angina particularly seem to experience a lack of energy, poor sleep and decreased physical mobility. In the RCTs evaluated, antianginal drugs did not show a significant benefit over placebo in terms of quality of life. As a result of a lack of valid data from RCTs, a strong conclusion regarding the impact of revascularisation procedures on quality of life could not be derived.