Comparison of three heart disease specific health-related quality of life instruments.

Background: We were interested in the feasibility of existing valid specific health-related quality of life [HRQL] instruments, designed for patients with heart failure, angina pectoris, or myocardial infarction [MI], being used to make outcome comparisons among pure or mixed populations of patients with these heart disease diagnoses.

Methods: A battery of specific HRQL questionnaires, including the Minnesota Living with Heart Failure questionnaire, the Seattle Angina Questionnaire, the MacNew Heart Disease questionnaire, the generic SF-36 health status survey, and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, was mailed to the 205 patients with current mailing addresses and returned by 161 patients [78.5%].

Results: None of the 22 specific and generic HRQL scales differed by diagnostic category. There were significant correlations between all corresponding HRQL scales in the MLHF, SAQ, and MacNew instruments as well as between each of the corresponding specific and generic SF-36 scales. In all cases, the correlations between the specific HRQL scales were numerically greater than those between the specific instruments and the generic SF-36 scales. Patients with and without either anxiety or depression differed significantly on each of the specific HRQL instruments and on the majority of the SF-36 scales.

Conclusion: The results of this investigation suggest that a common HRQL instrument for patients with heart failure, angina, and MI may prove to be useful when there is an interest in comparing outcomes among pure or mixed populations of patients with heart disease.