[Quality of life in patients with coronary artery disease: comparison between the genders]

To analyze the quality of life of people with coronary artery disease (CAD) who underwent distinct therapeutic interventions and compare the possible differences between genders.

This study comprised 542 subjects, 376 men (58.5 +/- 8.7 years) and 166 women (61.8 +/- 9.2 years), with CAD who underwent surgical, medical treatment or angioplasty. Quality of life was assessed with The Medical Outcomes Study 36-item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) administered at the beginning of treatment and after 6 and 12 months. The applied statistical method was the ANOVA test.

Those who underwent surgical treatment had scores of 46, 63, 68, for physical components; 52, 65, 62 for medical treatment, and 57, 66, 70 for angioplasty, respectively, in the initial, six, and twelve months phases. For mental components, results were 58, 71, 74 for the surgical intervention; 61, 69, 69 for the medical treatment, 64, 74, 74 for angioplasty. The differences over time and between treatments reached a statistical significance (p<0.001). In comparing genders, physical component scores in men were 56*, 69, 77*, and 41*, 64, 62* in women, respectively; mental component scores in men were 61*, 73, 80* and 51*, 68, 62* in women (*p<0.0001).

Subjects who underwent surgical treatment had the most favorable evolution. Men when compared to women had a better quality of life in the beginning of treatment with a progressive improvement after six and twelve months, while women, after an improvement at six months, presented a decrease at twelve.