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The SF-36 questionnaire: a convenient way to assess quality of life in angina pectoris patients
L Charlier1, J Dutrannois, L Kaufman
1Dept. of Cardiology, Cliniques Universitaires St-Luc, Brussels, Belgium.
Abstract:
Over 4400 stable angina pectoris patients were followed for six months, after the addition of nitroglycerin patches to their usual treatment. Qol items were assessed by means of the SF-36 questionnaire and some clinical parameters were followed as well: during the study, the frequency of attacks decreased regularly and significantly (from 3.49/ week to 0.99/week), as did the amount of sublingual nitroglycerin tablets (from 2.65/day to 0.50/day). All 8 items of the SF-36 questionnaire improved significantly. Moreover, there was a modest, but significant correlation between the decrease in attacks and rescue-medication and the improvement in the Qol. The SF-36 questionnaire appears to be an adequate tool to follow the changes in Qol in stable angina pectoris patients over time.